Guitar Chords ~ Nashville Number System

The Nashville Number System was developed by the Jordanaires who were session musicians in Nashville during the 60s. A number is given to each chord. The advantage is you can write a chart for a song without knowing what key it will be played in. Also, You can write charts quickly using the Nashville Number System. Many musician use Arabic numbers while others use Roman numerals. Designating the chords with Roman numerals has actually been around much longer than the use of Arabic numbers in Nashville. The advantage of using Roman numerals is the major is designated with upper case while minor is lower case. The table below shows the chords and corresponding number for all 12 major keys.

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