Thinking in terms of Numbers, not Chords

Mac Martine · From: Portland, Or

So, in my 11 years of playing 6-string guitar I've always played in terms of chords. I now can find all the chords I ever need right away without really thinking about it. I even feel like I'm already relatively fast at doing the same on my steel in the 9 months I've been playing.

I keep reading about people thinking in terms of numbers instead, because there're only patterns to remember... not hundreds of chords. That makes sense to me, and I see a lot of other reasons why this would be beneficial. So, I've been starting to convert some of my charts of songs I'm working on into numbers instead, and I've been doing other exersizes to get myself thinking this way.
The way I've been approaching thinking this way when practicing is to start with an open chord (no pedals), then go up the chord scale finding the closest positions of each chord relative to that I chord. I have so far onl done this with 2 positions, but in thinkin about it, I was just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this. Or maybe how other people have approached thinking in this way.

[This message was edited by Mac Martine on 05 January 2006 at 12:37 PM.]

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

I thought that when people were refering to "numbers" they meant stuff like I, IV, V chords, circle of fifths, 6ths and 7ths, etc.? But I am just now learning my theory after many years of just knowing what chords "went with each other" on 6 string.

I'm gonna make some flash cards...one side letter A, other side 1-7 chords for that key and the triads that make them up. realtive minor that sort of thing...IM a dummy.

[This message was edited by Ben Jones on 05 January 2006 at 12:42 PM.]

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

On guitar, you use different fingering to get C, D, E, G, Am, Em, etc. On steel, you have 3 positions for majors and 3 positions for minors, and you just move those same positions to the key you're playing in.

For many years I didn't know the name of the chord I was playing. I knew its relationship to the key (I, ii, iii, IV, etc.) but if asked its name I would have to stop and figure it out.

Today I use both methods. The number system is great for stuff like country or blues songs, which are often played in different keys to suit the singer. Knowing the chord names is also good, though, because it's fairly common to be handed a chord chart when playing with a new band or on a session.

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Skip Edwards · From: LA,CA

Numbers are the way to go...

Unless you've got perfect pitch you really can't tell, say, a C to F change from a E to A change, but with a little practice you can sure tell a 1 to 4 change...in any key. The same goes for all the other chord changes that we might encounter on a regular basis.
It's absolutely the way to go. And if you're flying by the seat of your pants on the bandstand, it's the only way to go.

It also makes transposing on the fly a relative snap.

Not to mention that one number chart is good for any key...

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I'd like to see a number chart for the old Chicago song "Color My World"!

Thomas Bancroft · From: Matawan, New Jersey, USA

Fmaj7 x8755x 4x As time goes on
Am x7755x 2x I realize
Bb x7765x 2x just what you mean
Ebmaj9 x6579x 2x to me
G#maj7 xx6543 2x And now, now that you're
F#maj7 xx4321 2x near, promise your
Am6 x0455x 1x love
D7 x0453x 1x That I've waited to
Gmaj7 xx5432 2x share
Ebmaj9 xx1321 2x And dreams of our moments to-
C7 xx5310 4x gether, Color my world
Fmaj7 xx321x 1x with hope
A#dim xx32x0 1x of
C7 xx531x 1x loving you.

This is what you get when you let the trombone player write the song! It's in the key of F. You guys can do the numbers if you like. I could actually play this on the guitar when I was 12 or 13 but not anymore. I'm going to have to work on it tonight.

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Mullen D-10, Melobar Rattler, Nashville 1000, Alesis Midiverb, Too Many Guitars!

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Many think of numbers when they think of Nashville recording sessions and probably most do use numbers. But, I worked a job with Ray Pillow back in mid 2004 and he sent the charts for some songs from his new CD that he wanted to do and they were copies of the actual session charts and they were in the actual Chords, not numbers.

I spent a month on the road with George Hamilton IV last year and George does not know the number system and only used the chord names.

I was given some charts for Jack Greene and they were all numbers.

Proves that we need to know both and be able to relate to both on the steel.

Skip Edwards · From: LA,CA

You're right on Jack... you do need to know both.

Rodney Garrison · From: Montague County , Texas (deceased)

Thomas, check your mail
RG

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