The Nashville Number System [Spiral-bound]

Chas Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2001

The Nashville Number System is a text on how to write chord charts using numbers instead of chord letters. With numbers, a chord chart can be played in any key without re-writing the chart. The key changes, but the numbers stay the same. You can write a number chart of a song from the radio and not need to know the key. As well, when a song modulates, the numbers stay the same.

This book teaches basic music theory so you can understand how the number system works. With this information, you can write a very simple chord chart ...or a detailed arrangement of your song.

Included are number charts of 7 country standards; each song’s chart handwritten by some of Nashville’s most influential musicians. The musicians wrote charts from the same recordings. For example, Charlie McCoy(Hee Haw), Jimmy Capps(Grand Ole Opry), Lura Foster(Prime Time Country), Barry Beckett(Producer), Eddie Bayers(Studio Drummer) and Brent Mason(Studio Guitarist) all charted songs such as the Patsy Cline single, “Crazy”, and the Elvis single, “Heartbreak Hotel”. These are to show the different, yet all valid styles of writing a Nashville number chart. New in Edition 6 is the cd, “1511”. This is a 9 song cd of original instrumental material. Charts for each song are found in the book. As well, Chas walks you through the intricacies of each chart and explains the Number System tools used to chart each song. Now, while listening to the cd, you can see and hear how Nashville number charts work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Finally a `How To` on the Nashville Number System! What used to be inside information in the studios of Music City is now made public. Chas Williams has spent hours of intense research and interviewing to bring to you the unique art of writing music in numbers instead of traditional manuscript. This system has saved literally hours of studio and rehearsal time in Nashville, and even across America. All I can say is thank you, Chas for an interesting, well-written and `Timely`contribution to the music world." -- Lura Foster: charts for Prime Time COuntry

"Finally a `How To` on the Nashville Number System! What used to be inside information in the studios of Music City is now made public. Chas Williams has spent hours of intense research and interviewing to bring to you the unique art of writing music in numbers instead of traditional manuscript. This system has saved literally hours of studio and rehearsal time in Nashville, and even across America. All I can say is thank you, Chas for an interesting, well-written and `Timely`contribution to the music world."

- Lura Foster -- Lura Foster: charts for Prime Time COuntry

"This is the most compete version of the Nashville Number System as I've ever seen. Chas Williams has a full understanding of the number system, and this book is an excellent source to begin learning the Nashville Number System." -- Charlie McCoy: Charts for Hee Haw band/Helped invent number system

...it would be in my opinion, the most informative book for learning this system... -- -Eddie Bayers

“ is as valid in Boston as in Nashville. Berklee is using the book to prepare students for the recording industry.” -- - Robert Stanton - Assistant Professor - Berklee College of Music

“It can save you a lot of time and embarrassing moments.“ -- - Mark O’Connor

From the Publisher

The Nashville Number System was originally written and published in 1988 by Chas. He has rigorously updated and edited the book for each of 6 subsequent editions. Featured here is the 2001 printing and 6th edition of The Nashville Number System; now expanded with the inclusion of the cd, 1511. By word of mouth, it has become the most recommended source for learning the Number System.

The Nashville Number System is used as a text at Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Belmont University, in Nashville, and MTSU in Murfreesboro,TN.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 108 pages
• Publisher: Nashville Number System; Includes 9 song CD "1511" edition (April 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963090666
• ISBN-13: 978-0963090669
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,941,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nashville Cat Who Knows the Nashville Technique!, September 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Nashville Number System (Spiral-bound)

Charles does it right ... if you want to understand the Nashville Number System, in plain simple english, this is the book I recommend in my tutorial at GuitarNotes.Com and at my site.

~~Alan Horvath

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for an excellent tool!, May 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Nashville Number System (Spiral-bound)

So, what happens is, you're playin' with a bunch of Nashville dudes, see? They're cuttin' this song, and the big-shot says, "progression is 1, 4, 5 ... the chorus goes: 4, 5, 6minor - three times; fourth time, it goes 4, 5, 1." What do you do? You go, "what key is it in?" 'Course, you should be able to figure that out by a quick listen, and a tap or two on your guitar ... but even if you don't, someone's bound to think you're just lazy, and blurt out, "It's in G, man!" So, okay ... big deal. You can count! You know the song goes G, C, D ... exept in the chorus, which goes C, D, Em - three times, and then C, D, G the fourth time. The cool thing about it, is when the vocalist arrives and he/she can't sing in the key of G! ... it has to be in the key of D! Nothing changes. The progression is still 1, 4, 5, etc. -- only now you're starting from D as #1 and counting. So, now we're gonna play D, G, A ... and the chorus goes G, A, Bm - three times; fourth time is G, A, D. Pretty simple, huh? Everybody can do their private math, quietly, and, in ten minutes when the tape starts to roll, everybody sounds like they knew what was up all the time. The vocalist is very impressed! And, most of all, the guy cutting the checks is smiling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars of Great Benefit to bands / musicians., July 24, 2008

By 

David Swart (Oak Park, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nashville Number System (Spiral-bound)

I wouldn't say much of this book is original, but nevertheless very very useful. Having played with multiple bands over the past 15 years, it would be so helpful for musicians to learn this method to make playing together in different keys / transposing / writing etc be so much easier in a band format.