Nashville Numbering System

If you’ve ever played at a jam with intermediate to advanced players, chances are you’ve heard someone say “this is a 1 4 5 progression” or “this song goes to the 6 too” etc. If you don’t understand these phrases, well it’s time to change that! My Mandolin Primer Volume 1: Chords & Progressions goes over this topic in more detail and is available on my store.

What Is the Nashville Numbering System?

The Nashville Numbering System assigns numbers to each note in a given key. Doing this allows you to easily change keys without having to think too much – which is awesome when learning songs on the fly or having to change keys for a singer. The system is easy to understand, but may take a bit to memorize. It’s definitely worth taking some time to get this down! 

The below chart shows the number for each note in all keys – though for simplicity I did not specifically list the enharmonic spellings (like how Gb is also F#).

What Does the “Diatonic Function” Mean?

The function is what type of chord you would play to harmonize a particular key. The rule for all keys is the same,

• 1 (or I) is major
• 2 (or ii) is minor
• 3 (or iii) is minor
• 4 (or IV) is major
• 5 (or V7) is dom7)
• 6 (or vi) is minor
• 7 (or vii0) is diminished

While knowing which chord types harmonize a major scale is important as it’s a common tool used, it’s far from the rule.  Many songs have major 2’s and 6’s – which is perfectly fine (for example Old Home Place has a major 2, Salty Dog Blues has a major 6). Remember, there’s no absolutes in music – just a bunch of guiding principals which get broken frequently and eventually become stale anyway.

For bluegrass (and blues, folk, rock, and many other genres) the 1 4 5 progression makes up the majority of songs in some way. When learning this system, start off memorizing the 1 4 5 in each key. When I was learning this, I used flash cards where one side had a Key and the other had the 1 4 5 of that key which worked really well.

Common Progressions

1 4 5 – aka “the people’s progression” Common base of most songs like Foggy Mountain Top, I’ll Fly Away, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and Hand me Down my Walking Cane.

1 4 1 5 1 – aka “church cadence” Very common progression in tunes like Bury me Beneath the Willows, Deep Elem Blues, If I should wander back tonight, and My little girl from Tennessee

2 5 1- aka “jazz turnaround”  A jazz turnaround that gets used in bluegrass more than you might think.  Songs like Old Home Place, Lady Be Good, Whiskey Before Breakfast, and Salty Dog Blues all use this (some use the more “full” 6 2 5 1 progression too)

Looking for More Information?

Check out my instructional books which dive a bit more in to how the harmonized scale works. Or schedule a personal coaching session or mandolin lesson with me.

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