Hello all! I just wanted to give a special thanks to Matthew Daniel who so graciously stopped by and added some thoughts and things I was missing and/or mistaken about with the Nashville Number System. In my haste to do a comparison post I didn’t research as much as I should and wanted to give a huge thanks to him! I’ll revisit it again in the future and please see Matthew’s comments here and here.
Wednesday we looked briefly at the Nashville Number system. Today I’d like to talk about the Roman numeral system equivalent and touch briefly on the benefits and disadvantages of each. The NNS system basically works like this:
C - D - E - F- G - A - B - C
1 - 2- 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
The Roman Numeral Equivalent would be:
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii° - I
Another comparison that needs to be made is how each system handles chord inversions. Inversions are so important to helping the overall sound of the music and shorthand ways to notate them are needed.
The NNS notates inversions as using the first number as the chord and the second number behind a slash as the chord degree (note) that needs to be played on the bottom. So, in the key of C, a C (1) that is in its first inversion would be notated as 1/3. A C in second inversion would be 1/5.
Roman Numeral system notates inversions quite differently. The same example above (C in first inversion) would be written as I 6 (the 6 being in superscript next to the I - sorry, couldn’t find the superscript button!) and the second inversion as I 6/4. (This is really hard to explain in a blog post, so when you’re finished reading the next section, come back and visit here for more information about inversions.)
The major disadvantage to the Nashville Number System is that you need to already know if certain chords are major or minor. Whereas, in the Roman numeral system, an upper case numeral always indicates a major chord and a lower case numeral always indicates a minor chord. There are several symbols in the Roman Numeral system that indicate different types of chords (augmented, diminished, etc.) In the NNS, the type of chord always has to be written out (aug, dim, maj7, min7, etc.)
One advantage, however, to NNS is the ability to notate measures quickly. I found the use of parentheses as a means to notate measures particularly helpful.
One disadvantage to the Roman Numeral system is that the figured bass used for inversions can be difficult to understand. Inversions in NNS seem very easy.
While I myself am not extremely familiar with the NNS, it’s starting to grow on me. If anyone has any other tips about it, please leave a comment! Also, why do you like one system or the other better? Have you had experience with either?
Continuing on from yesterday - let’s take a look at a different take on music theory notation, the Nashville Number System. As I’m writing this, I’ve decided to make this a mini-series for the rest of the week - as there’s a lot to cover.
Previously we have only looked at the classic Roman Numeral system of notating chords within the music. I want to spend some time in this post looking at the differences of the two and offer some thoughts as to the benefits and drawbacks of each.
The basic gist of the Nashville Number System is to simplify, simplify, simplify. It consists of numbers (obviously) that correspond to each chord of the scale. So, just like the notes of a scale these numbers range from 1-7 (and 8 for the repeated root note). So, if you’re in the key of C - the numbers would look like this:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8(octave)
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
In this system, you need to know right away which chord is major and which chord is minor. The system assumes the diatonic (written within the key signature) chords when each basic number is written. So, if you see a 1, 4 or 5 - you need to know that it’s a major chord and if you see a 2, 3, or 6 you need to know it’s a minor chord. The 7 is a different story altogether. The system adds a capital ‘M’ if the chord needs to be change to a major chord.
The system will add suffixes to the chords if they need to be extended. For example, if you want to play a G suspended chord in the key of C, it would be written 5sus4. The system also allows for the ability to shorthand more than one chord in a measure. Extra chords within a measure are written in parentheses - (1 4) (1 5). In C, this would tell you to play C - F for the first measure and then C - G for the second measure.
There are a few more things to the Nashville Number system. I just wanted to give a very basic crash course for our purposes. A good, brief overview of more of the system can be found here. Tomorrow we’ll look at the classic Roman Numeral equivalent to the chords above and then Friday we’ll dive in to the benefits and drawbacks of both systems.
This week I’d love to spend some time diving into some more practical music theory tips that you can use in your worship ministry (or in any modern musical venue for that matter). Very often I will run into bass players that know where the root notes of chords are but have no idea what to do beyond playing the root note. Today we’ll try and look at some simple tips bass players can use to get off of the root:
The absolute best way for bass players to find their way out of the familiar root note is to listen to recordings and pick out the bass part. Crank the bass on your EQ and pick out everything the bass player is doing. Attempt to play along with the song (you might have to pause quite a few times!) and learn what notes the bass player is using. Start with a slower song with a less intricate bass line to avoid a lot of frustration.
These two intervals are very key to making bass playing a little more interesting while keeping it simple. Because the root chord is built up of a root, a third, and a fifth - the fifth of the chord can be used to add interest. Alternate between the root and the fifth in rhythm with the rest of the song. It doesn’t have to be fancy right away. If you’ve never tried to get off of the root note before, play the root note for three beats (if you’re in a 4/4 song) and then use the fourth beat to switch to the fifth of the chord. Then, on the first beat of the next measure, come back to the root note. By playing the fifth on the last beat of the measure you create a great transition note into the next measure.
Knowing where the fourth of the chord is can be very helpful in adding a note that transitions to the fifth. It could be a quick transition that helps create a rhythmic, punching bass line. Or it could be a transition from one chord to the next. If the music goes from a I chord to a V chord, use the fourth to transition between the two.
In the same way, use thirds to transition to a knew chord. The third note of a I chord helps transition perfectly to the first note of a IV chord. Use the third note of the IV chord to transition to the root note of the V chord (take note that you will be going down instead of up in this case.) The third note of the V chord has to transtion back to the first note of the I chord. Use the third of every chord to find your way either up or down to the next chord in the song.
If you absolutely have a hard time getting away from the root of the chord - use rhythm to help create more interest. For a driving song, play repeated eighth notes instead of whole notes. Repeat the root as a separate note on the fourth beat of the measure (in 4/4) and then repeat it again on the first beat of the next measure. This helps create movement in the music.
These are some very basic tips that will help beginning bass players move away from the root note of each chord and create much more interest in the music. Anyone have any more?
For a long time I’ve subscribed to the school of thought that playing by chord off of lead sheets or chord sheets is a much better way to go for piano players than playing straight from the actual piano music. You only have to have a couple of pages to turn through, you learn how to play chords just in case the piano music is unavailable, and you develop your ear. However, there is a problem: it’s much harder to lead if you don’t have experience.
As I’ve begun to teach several piano players how to play by chords instead of by the piano music I’ve run into a problem that I completely didn’t expect. Chords, without being driven by rhythm and melody, don’t really go anywhere. I can tell the piano player to “just play by the chords on this one” and it leads to a great fit when I’m leading from the guitar. I can carry the rhythm from the guitar and let the piano color and accent the song. But if I say, “I’d like to you lead this one on the piano,” many of the piano players are not quite sure what to do. They can play the chords, but haven’t really been taught the rhythms to apply the chords to - so the song lacks movement. They can play the chords, but haven’t really been taught how to break them up and use passing tones to create interest - so the song lacks character.
I guess that is my dilemma. I can show the piano players what to do by saying, “Let me sit for a second and show you what I’d like.” But then they’re just watching me do something instead of actually learning how to do it. I would love to know what you’ve done to teach piano players how to play chords but play them rhythmically and melodically - able to lead a song well. Some things I can think of might perhaps be:
Are there any other suggestions that could help?
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