As you can see in example at the top of this article, the key is usually written at the top left of the chart as is the key signature for a song.

Therefore the 1 chord represents the key of the song. The basic chart written with the NNS is based on the tonic or the key of the song. It is as iconic to Nashville as the Grand Old Opry itself. Most of the industry changing music that was created in Nashville over the next few decades was directed by charts written with a version of the NNS from Patsy Cline to Peggy Lee to even Elvis Presley. The NNS could be as simple or as complex as the user required. As the system developed and became integrated into common use for notation, simple ways for notating things like rhythm, chord voicing, structure and even augmentation blossomed. The NNS at a basic application gave these self-taught players a simple way to communicate chords and intervals on the fly. You learned the tonal relationship between intervals and chords naturally, you just didnвЂ™t have a specific term for it. (editorial note: I can take the liberty to poke fun since I hail from rural Virginia and rarely wore shoes as a child.) We called this self-taught musical ability вЂњplaying by earвЂќ. Bass used to say on Andy Griffith) from 1 to 7. But, even hillbillies could count (or cipher as Earnest T. While Nashville had some of the most phenomenal technical instrumentalists in the world, many were self taught and had very basic knowledge of music theory. A Nashville harmonica player by the name of Charlie McCoy recognized this application and started using the system for chord charts in the recording sessions he was leading. The brilliance of the Matthews idea that the degree delineation for the scale can also to apply to chord roots as well single notes. Where in the solfГЁge system the one of the scale is вЂњdoвЂќ, in the NNS the first degree of the scale is just the numeral 1. Movability is the operative function of both systems in that regardless of what key you are in, the degrees of the scale remain the same. ItвЂ™s very similar to the Movable do solfГЁge system that assigns a syllable to each degree of the scale or note. of the world-renowned vocal group The Jordanaires (Elvis, Patsy Cline, George Jones) as a way to teach the singers their parts in the recording studio. The Nashville Number System (NNS) was originally developed in the 1950вЂ™s by Neal Matthews, Jr. After I recovered from the shock and awe of the moment, I recognized that this rudimentary notation based on the degrees of the scale was actually the simplest and most efficient way of all time to get a bunch of musicians on the same page вЂ“ literally and figuratively. I was handed a chart with a collection of symmetrically arranged numbers with various chord voicings, dashes, slashes, parentheses and symbols. Imagine already being intimidated by being the new guy on a session and then realizing that you would have to speak a completely different language to communicate musically. When I moved to Nashville in the 80вЂ™s and had my first opportunity to participate in a recording session, I was abruptly introduced to a notation system called the Nashville Number System.

Nashville number system chart symbols