Numbers, not letters.
Session players in Nashville have used number charts since the late 1950s, when Neal Matthews Jr. of the Jordanaires started writing them. If a singer wants a song lower, the band just plays the same numbers in a new key: nobody has to rewrite the chart.
Chord numbers
Each number is a scale degree of the key, and the chord is built on that note. The examples below are shown in C.
| Write | In C | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | The chord on the 1st note of the key. On its own, a number is a major chord. |
| 6- | Am | Minus (or m) makes it minor. |
| 57 | G7 | A 7 after the number adds the dominant 7th. You'll also see it written small and raised. |
| 1maj7 | Cmaj7 | Major 7th. Often written with a triangle: 1Δ7. |
| 2-7 | Dm7 | Minor 7th. |
| 7° | B° | Diminished. A half-diminished chord is written 7ø. |
| 4sus | Fsus4 | Suspended: the 3rd is replaced by the 4th. |
| ♭7 | B♭ | A flat or sharp moves the number off the scale. ♭7 is a major chord a half step below the 7th note. |
| 1/3 | C/E | Slash chord: the 1 chord over the 3rd note of the key in the bass. |
| 4/5 | F/G | The 4 chord over the 5th in the bass, a common lead-in back to the 1. |
A number on its own is always a major chord. A minor chord needs its minus sign (or an m), even when it's the usual minor chord of the key, like 6-.
Rhythm and road signs
Unless the chart says otherwise, each number lasts one bar. These marks change that:
Split bar
Numbers underlined together share one bar. Two numbers share the bar equally; in 4/4 they get two beats each.
Diamond
Hit the chord once and let it ring for the whole bar.
Push
Play the chord early, on the "and" of 4 in the bar before. Some charters write a ^ above the number for this, too.
Choke
Hit the chord and cut it off short (stop the strings or lift your hands).
Sections
Letters mark the parts of the song: V for verse, C for chorus, B for bridge, plus Intro, Tag and Outro. "x2" means play it twice.
Slash
The chord on the left over the bass note on the right. Both numbers come from the key, so 1/3 in C is C over E.
Charters don't all use the same marks for pushes and chokes. If a chart has a symbol you don't recognise, ask the bandleader.
Songs in a minor key
There are two ways to chart a minor-key song. Some players number from the relative major, so the home chord is 6-. Others number from the minor home chord itself and write it as 1-, with flats on the 3, 6 and 7: 1- ♭6 ♭7 1- is Am F G Am in A. Try it with the Nashville Numbers tool: choose the "Minor key" example and the key of A. Either way works, as long as everyone on the stand reads it the same way.
Build your foundation with Practical Music Theory: notes, chords, keys and rhythm.
Put it into practice
Build a chart, change the key, and hear it with your chosen tempo and time signature.
Open Nashville Numbers →