Anyone here making active use of the Nashville Number System (NNS) in their bass playing?

I have recently begun practicing playing my bass "by the numbers" as a way of better adapting to the sporadic last-minute key changes that happen at my church services.

Posted - 03/02/2010 :  04:38:56      

It is good to know, but it is like learning French, unless the others you are playing with understand it, you can't communicate.

Posted - 03/04/2010 :  01:49:02      

Very interesting topic to me.

My experience has been banjo playing and I use the numbering system about 90% of the time - and I agree with Mitch: if the others in the group do not understand the numbering system you can not use the numbers to communicate with them . That has been a little frustrating to me at bluegrass jams from time to time. Most of the songs I play are bluegrass and my mind thinks 'numbering system' for at least two big reasons: 1. It helps me when I want to change keys - the patterns for I - IV - V on the banjo neck are identical no matter what key we are playing in. 2. My ears are now hearing the changes in I - IV - V sounds. It's kind of like hearing the gears change in a car. There are other advantages to the numbering sys ... these are just a couple of them.

So, yesterday I took my first lesson on an electric bass - Ashbory Bass. Hummmm.... the first thing I noticed was that the 'patterns ideas' I have learned on the banjo and the numbering sys goes right into to bass playing. You might say we have a banjo player communicating with a bass player (both of which are me) and the understanding of what is going on is incredibly smooth.

Even though I have had only one lesson on the bass I can tell you that the numbering system is great for me in learning and changing keys and understanding the music and it helps me in hearing (understanding) what part of the song is being played. I also jammed with two other folks last night (me on bass) and we all use that numbering system and it was very useful.

But now there are a couple of questions I have about your situation. Do the other folks playing at your church use the numbering sys? I sing in a choir at church and I see the lead sheets occasionally - there seems to be a lot of what I call 'funny chords' - sustained, augmented, etc.. it is not the I - IV - V stuff I see and play in bluegrass jams I attend. I do not know how the numbering system would work with all those chord changes - I hope somebody can comment on that angle.

Phil

Edited by - Kemo Sabe on 03/04/2010 01:52:47

Posted - 03/04/2010 :  10:03:21      

I’m certainly no expert on the Nashville numbering system, but I always thought that the numbers just referred to root notes for the chords derived from the major scale. When you get into augmented 9th sustained to the 7th power minor tweaked chords I don’t know of an easy way to say it other than to just call it what it is. Like for Foggy Mountain Breakdown in the key of G, the Em chord might be referred to a VIm or 6 minor? But I’m just guessing, somebody that knows more about it can correct me.

Posted - 03/04/2010 :  12:52:21      

I taught my better half how to play the Ashbory bass using the numbering system. She plays out of closed positions and all she needs to know is the chord pattern in the numbering system and the time signature, and for most of the stuff we do (bluegrass), she's good to go. She generally plays root - five with an occasional walk up or down, so a 6 minor is just a 6, same for any other minor. Because the Ashbory is fretless and very short scale, her problems are more likely to be pitch than anything else.

Posted - 03/04/2010 :  15:15:46      

quote:

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Originally posted by Roll Player

I taught my better half how to play the Ashbory bass using the numbering system. She plays out of closed positions and all she needs to know is the chord pattern in the numbering system and the time signature, and for most of the stuff we do (bluegrass), she's good to go. She generally plays root - five with an occasional walk up or down, so a 6 minor is just a 6, same for any other minor. Because the Ashbory is fretless and very short scale, her problems are more likely to be pitch than anything else.

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Posted - 03/10/2010 :  04:48:34  

quote:

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Originally posted by MitchellB

It is good to know, but it is like learning French, unless the others you are playing with understand it, you can't communicate.

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Posted - 03/10/2010 :  04:53:23  

quote:

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Originally posted by MitchellB

I’m certainly no expert on the Nashville numbering system, but I always thought that the numbers just referred to root notes for the chords derived from the major scale. When you get into augmented 9th sustained to the 7th power minor tweaked chords I don’t know of an easy way to say it other than to just call it what it is. Like for Foggy Mountain Breakdown in the key of G, the Em chord might be referred to a VIm or 6 minor? But I’m just guessing, somebody that knows more about it can correct me.

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Posted - 03/10/2010 :  10:24:32      

Caeman, do you ever use NNS with a minor scale? This has come up a few times with songs in minor keys. Generally, when I chart these for my gf, I use the relative major scale. E.G., G chords for a song in E minor.

Posted - 03/11/2010 :  10:48:58  

According to the book I am learning NNS from, you chart it based on the relative major. Thus, Eminor is 6 in the Gmajor scale.

Posted - 03/11/2010 :  11:46:00      

Ahh, that's exactly the way I've been doing it. Thanks.