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There were several other tunes on the session that I was able to chart ahead of time, but I found out at the rehearsal that she performed them in a different key live. Two days later, we shot the video (song starts at 1:23). I also used 4m rather than 4- for the Am's in the bridge. I like having it up off the line though, as my sloppy handwriting puts me at risk of mistaking them for a full-bar 6 chord otherwise. If I'm needing to note a lot of color tones, than I'll put the b down lower, or before the number as others have suggested. After one run through, I ran it down with them one more time, and made a few additional notes about dynamics / hits.Įwall, you'll notice I write 7b instead of b7 to denote those D chords. I made this chart on the fly at rehearsal while listening to the rest of the band, because the live arrangement is different from the original studio recording. The chart just gives you what you need, simply, without having to think about it.įor an example (and because ewall was hoping for some examples), this session was the first time I played with this artist. Nashville charts also are very compact, so you can usually fit tunes on a single page without recording to repeats, codas, etc. If the song ends up in a different key than was originally planned, I don't have to transpose in my head as I go. For me, a number chart gives me only the harmonic information I need in an easy-to-read format that leaves the rest to "instinct". Which, in my view, is not what music should be. If you put a chart in front of someone with all sorts of instructions, the playing becomes 'robotic'. I've dictated charts to my wife in the car en route to gigs before - hers turn out way neater than mine. I like it mainly because I don't need a pitch reference to chart, so I can chart on airplanes or whatever. The only exceptions are tunes with crazy jazz harmony, indistinct/shifting tonal centers, or super-intricate parts that must be nailed exactly. I chart pretty much everything Nashville style these days. I would indicate the key of the tune as "C (Am)" up in the corner of the chart, and notate the verse as 6 2 4 5. So for example - verse is in A minor, progression Am-Dm-F-G. I don't want to bother to scan all the way through the tune before I start charting to find out whether it goes to the relative major or not, so I just assume it will. If I'm charting a tune that starts out in a minor key, I will usually notate it as though it were in the relative major, because with pop or country tunes it will almost always will go to the relative major in the chorus or bridge, and then it becomes a pain (for me anyway) to read/write that section correctly. Minor keys are another thing that some folks tend to handle differently. If it needs to be indicated, then personally I use - for minor and + for major - faster to write and easier to distinguish. minor if a chord is going against the "normal" (diatonic) voicing. When I'm Nashville charting, I'm usually doing my darndest to get a finished chart in one real-time listen through the song, either because I'm at a session, or I've got 39 more songs to chart after this one. And yes, Arabic numerals are definitely the way to go. I agree with both of the interpretations above. The fact that it includes sample charts from several different musicians is really helpful, considering that it tends to be a highly personalized thing from one player to the next. The Chas Williams book is a worthwhile investment.