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Stop naming chords, start numbering them. The Nashville system labels chords by their place in the major scale (I, IV, V major; ii, iii, vi minor; vii° diminished), so a progression becomes a pattern you can transpose to any key and recognize across songs. More than a convenience, it's the codebook for this course's shortcuts: the numbers tell you exactly how to shift pentatonic scales (Module 5) or pick the right triad overlay — no hunting for roots by name. You'll number the opening of "Little Wing" as a worked example.
What follows is this lesson’s section of the Course Guide — you can read it here or in the full guide →
Musicians often use numbers to refer to chords. This is a communication shorthand that makes it easier to switch keys and to more easily recognize common harmonic patterns.
There are two common numbering systems in widespread use that are easily confused. The Classical system uses Roman numerals (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, viiº) based on the home chord of the song. Major chords are written in uppercase Roman numerals, minor chords are written in lowercase, and chord variants are indicated with special symbols or numbers (e.g., a diminished chord gets a º, and a dominant seventh chord gets a 7). So in the Classical system, if the song is in the key of A, if there’s a D minor chord, it is labeled iv, and if there is a D major chord, it is labeled IV.
The Nashville system traditionally uses Arabic numerals (1, 2-, 3-, 4, 5, 6-, 7º), using a minus sign to indicate a minor chord. The big difference, however, is that the Nashville numbers are always based on an underlying major scale, so you will almost never see a 1- chord. If a song is in the key of A minor, the home chord (Am) is called 6- in Nashville notation, and i in Classical notation.
To make things even more confusing, many guitarists use Roman numerals with Nashville notation. Usually, you can figure that out from context, but not always. I use this hybrid system in this course so that Arabic numbers always refer to scale degrees, and Roman numerals always refer to chord functions. I apologize for any confusion this creates.
In this course, our primary reason for adopting the Nashville system is that it simplifies improvisation. With Nashville numbers, most scale shifts (from Module 5) become trivial: shift your pentatonic scale up a string for the ii or IV chord, and shift down a string for the iii or V chord. And, as you’ll see later in the module, finding chord tone targets overlaid on a baseline pentatonic scale is also straightforward if you know the Nashville number for the chord.
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