Nashville Number System Guitar

This is a really useful tool that demonstrates how Nashville Number System translates into guitar chords in all keys. Simply click on the chord of your choice using mouse. Alternatively, you can select from one of several different buttons for complete progressions. Try both minor and major modes. Use triads and seventh chords with popular song structure.

Firstly, select your root note. Use the buttons labeled Root to select your key, ranging from C through to F. Below that you will see seven diatonic chords laid out in a grid. As you change the key the numbers does not alter. That’s the whole principle behind this system. Regardless of whether you are playing in B flat or G, for example, the I chord remain the tonic.

How to Use This Tool

Select your mode next. Switching to Minor or Major will plays through the chord qualities differently. The two, three, and six chords is minor, while the seven is diminished in major keys. In minor keys, the sixth and seventh are both now major and the second has turned into a diminished chord. The letters underneath the chord buttons indicates the number, the quality, the letter name and its harmonic function.

Alternatively, try swapping between seventh chords and triads. To view the plain triads, click on Triads button. To see the more colorful chords used in pop and jazz music, click on Seventh chords. In this way we see that the one chord turns into a major seven; the five chord is now a dominant seven.

A nice feature of this is that it visually color codes chords for you making it easy to distinguish between major/minor/diminished qualities. If you want to hear how the chords sound in a piece, then listen to the progression chips. The buttons will plays through common progressions such as one four five, or one five six minor four. When you tap on a progression, it will begin looping in the key you are currently in. This way you can get used to how they sounds.

There is also an option to tap on the individual chord buttons to hear each one by itself. To play all the chords in sequence just click Play all (or if you wish to run through entire scale). Each chord will then be played once and then the next in turn, this is a great way to hear what the key sounds like in this case.

You can adjust volume using the slider bar on the right. The default setting is quiet but clear.

If you haven’t read the how to play then click on that panel and expand it. That will refresh your memory about theory of the system. What makes some chords diminished or minor. You should of used it more if you wanted to learn faster. You can use it along with trying things out yourself.

And when you want to concentrate, you can click fullscreen. That takes away all other bits and lets you have a bigger area to view the controls and chords.

Go play around on some progressions using different keys. What did you notice? That one always sounded like home. The five chord made you feel tension until it resolved back to one. You switched from major to minor and heard the emotion change. You added sevenths and noticed the color.

It’s meant for you to start thinking in numbers not letters. Pick a key you know and then another that you don’t, let your ears do the rest.

Actualy, it is naturaly more fun when you play with different sounds. It should be more comfortabley than reading books.