Nashville Number Charts

Here's another piece I wrote and posted on the SongRamp board, but again its useful here. Unless you're getting ready to demo something you probably don't need to worry too much about doing this, and if you're playing your songs yourself then writing the chords out is probably fine.

The number charts are designed to show the chords of a song by relationship, rather than by holding it to a certain key. Instead of writing the chord itself, every chord is assigned a number based on how many scale degrees it is from the key. If we had written a song in the key of C then the chords would be:

1 - C
2 - D
3 - E
4 - F
5 - G
6 - A
7 - B

Now, depending on the singer, we may need to change the key in order to place the melody within the singers range. If we have the chords written on the paper then someone needs to first write the relationship to the key center, and then figure out the new key. Skilled musicians can figure out chord as they're playing along, meaning you can use the same chart for playing in multiple keys.

I believe the number only dictates the 1 note of the chord so you can create a minor chord by writing "6m," which would represent an Am in C or "57" which would represent a G7 in C. Sometimes a minor is also represented with a - instead of an m.

The system is very similar to writing chords as roman numbers (I, ii, iii, IV, etc.) except that you don't use capitals and small letters to indicate maj/min.

A full chart would includes BPM, key and the full structure of the song. Basically, someone should be able to pick up the chart and play along with the song without ever having heard it before. There are symbols for letting chords ring, strumming patterns and all sorts of other situations and the charts can get complex but they're a great way to pass on a lot of musical information in a short period of time.

Most studios develop their own handwritten charts so there's no need to create one before you are having a song demo'd. However, if you want to develop a better understanding of your own song it may be worth noting the relationship its chords have to the key or some of the rythmic patterns it has in it.
I'll try and find a good example of one to show you, but if you search Google Images for "Nashville Number System Chart" you'll find a whole bunch of different examples.

Until next time!

Performing Part 1a - Music City Cafe, Damascus

So I decided at the last minute to hit the Music City Cafe open mic last night with my wonderfully tolerant fiancee. Initially we were attempting to make a tape of the pre-performance routine so I could attach it to the text version we put together yesterday, but that all went down the pan when we couldn't find a well enough lit place to film me getting ready except right in front of the band who was performing.

We did capture the performance, but you all don't need to see that! All I have to say is that straight mic stands are the devil. It may or may not get used as part of this video, if the ever gets finished. We shall see.

Overall though the Music City Cafe is a very cool little place with LPs all over the wall and a whole bunch of musical memorobilia. I haven't hit many open mics in a while but the crowd was very receptive and the standard of performers was better than I have seen in a while. I feel slightly guilty for leaving a little eary, particularly as we had to run during the performance of one of my better cheerleaders but I will try and stop by again next week with a little more time to spare.

Performing Part 2 - Preparing Your Body.

Singing is a whole-body workout and what you eat and drink before you go on stage can make a big difference in your performance. Whether you have a great voice or struggle to carry a tune, how you treat your voice and body before you go on stage can have a surprising impact on your performance.

Before I get ahead of myself, I want to say that the majority of these are things I've done myself and I've learned the hard way that they hurt my ability to perform. There are a million books on the subject that will give you the medical reasons you should or should not do certain things, here I'll just give you the ones I've found to have the most impact, both positively and negatively.

Alcohol and Drugs

I love a beer (or several) as much as the next guy, but don't drink or use drugs before you go on stage. It may help your self confidence, but you'll sound like shit. Do yourself (and your audience a favor) and don't drink before or during playing. There are some people who can do it, but we all get a little sloppy when we've had a few and all the tight timing and clever melodies you perfected while practicing will come out sloppy and loose, and you probaby won't notice. If you're serious about playing then stay away from the booze until after you've played.

I am in no way preaching tee-totalsim or whatever its called, believe me, I love to have fun, but would you show up to work after a couple of beers? If you would then I hope you're not driving my bus on the way home.

Smoking

I was a smoker for years and now that I've stopped I've found a voice I never knew I had. It's still a struggle to stay away from ciggarettes when I want something to do with my hands before a show, but I know it hurts my voice and therefore my ability to perform. Smoking dries out your throat and makes it more difficult to find the vocal agility and lung capacity you have with a moist throat. You'll miss the high notes, and again, all the clever runs you spent so much time practicing will be wasted because you can't sing them. Basically, its a bad idea.

Coffee

I performed in coffee houses for years and I LOVE coffee, the problem is that it also dries you out right before performing. I have no idea what it is about coffee that makes it difficult so sing right after drinking a cup, but I'd suggest staying away.

Music has a reputation as a pretty debaucherous pursuit. Unfortunately, if you're serious about being a singer and performer you need to stay away from some of its more interesting elements until after you've played. Rock stars aren't made overnight and unless you're careful about how you fuel your body, you'll end up in the line of should-have-beens, rather than as could be.

I'm not saying don't have fun, just don't over-do it.

Performing Part 1 - Overcoming Stage Fright and Nerves

I posted this on the Songramp message board I'm involved with after a discussion about how to overcome stage fright and I wanted to add it here for anyone who happens to come across it. Performing is an essential part of being a songwriter and while you don't have to be phenomenal at it, doing a good job is an essential part of getting your songs heard and getting the feedback you need to improve your writing.

Eventually, audiences will hear your songs, so taking them there as soon as possible and watching the audiences reaction is a great way to start when you're still learning. Do they listen and watch, or are they reading their books, checking their cell phones or going to the bathroom? Great songs will keep them on the edge of their seats the whole time, average songs will not.

Anyway, here's the post in its entirety.

"Stage Fright/Sweaty Hands/Shaking Voice

I had terrible stage fright when I first started performing, and sometimes still do, but I get over it and so can everyone (infomercial much?!)! It all boils down to confidence and practice but I've found a few things that really help me so I figured I'd offer them for other people! I'm no Bruce Springsteen, but I've become a competent performer.

-- Practice until you know the song backwards and forwards. If you make a small mistake when practicing it will become a big mistake when performing. Practice until you can play/sing the song by reaction, not by concentrating. Oh, and make sure you have it memorized, you can almost never read lyrics or chords on stage.

-- Practice as if you are performing. That means set up a mic stand with a mic in it (you don't have to plug it in), stand up, and sing into the microphone. The angles all change when you stand and you need to practice with the new ones! Play the whole song every time, and practice plowing on through mistakes, broken/dropped picks, fluffed notes, broken chords, wrong lyrics, all that stuff. They will happen, and if you push through them when practicing its not as terrifying when it does.

That gives you confidence in your act. Here are a few more to help you just before you get on stage.

-- Be prepared. Have your guitar close to you, go to tune it early, use fresh strings, a new pick, and have something to wipe your hands on. Put the strap in place, be ready to take and plug the cable (you are using an acoustic electric right?!), basically, once you are on stage it should take about 10 seconds for you to be plugged in, at the mic and ready to start your song. Delays should come from the sound man, host, other performers, never you. You are a beast and ready to step on stage and KILL IT.
-- Embrace the nervous energy, if you channel it properly you can have a great show! Channeling is a very personal thing, for me I prepare very methodically, in the same order and with the same gear every time. It focuses me on the job at hand and helps me concentrate. I usually play through the intro of the first song as a warm up (quietly). I also tend to jump up and down once I'm ready to go. It helps raise my heart rate and energy level, ready to go out and own the stage. You're basically psycing yourself up so the nervous energy goes somewhere good. Remeber all those yelling pep talks that sports teams get from their coach? That's essentially what you're doing to yourself.

-- On the walk to the stage focus on the audience loving everything you're doing and screaming out your name for more songs once you have to leave. NEVER focus on screwing up. Imagine yourself being perfect, the crowd loving you and you coming back with a grammy.

-- Once you get to the stage SHUT UP!!! A simple "Good evening, I'm XYZ." will do. The audience doesn't care about your life story. If you're good enough they'll come up and ask you afterwards. Nerves sometimes make people talk a lot and the audience is tuned out before you've started your first song. Once you've said that bust out the KILLER first song that MAB helped you write and you'll have the audience in the palm of your hand.

Performing is a skill, just like playing an instrument or singing or songwriting. Everyone can do it and do it well, you just have to learn how and practice. I apologise if any of this has been covered before, but I hope it helps out anyone who is having trouble."

I'll add a few more performing tips and tricks here as we move along so check back for more!

Songwriting Community Involvement - Online Forums

It may have taken me almost a month to get to the second post, but I hope they'll come more often than that in the future. Nevertheless, I've been working outside of this blog on getting a few songs together and creating the guitar/vocal demos to get them critiqued and listened to. I can't even begin to describe what I've been busy learning, but keep an eye out over the next few weeks for a few pieces on what I've learned and where I've been!

The first thing we'll start with though, is a few of the forums I've joined. They're so easy to get to and keep up with and packed full of good advice. Aside from the advice, there are a ton of people to connect and network with and, as you'll find, much of this business is about networking. People have even run companies by others to make sure they're legitimate and not just around to take money. I've asked a few questions and gotten some great responses.

The first forum is at JPFolks.com and is part of the Just Plain Folks organization run by Brian Whitney. The organization itself has tens of thousands of members organized into chapters around the country, but the forums are a wealth of information with members all over the world and you don't have to leave your living room/computer desk!

The second site I've been using is songramp.com. They have several different membership levels, although I'm still using the free one so I can't comment on how the more advanced membership levels work. I joined for something called the "Music Industry Insider" thread, run by the very kind and knowledgeable Marc-Alan Barnette (commonly known as MAB). It’s packet with tips on songwriting, networking and reviews of events and other fun stuff. The thread is set up more like a chat room, with a single thread where most of the action takes place. People jump in and out, ask questions and as usual, there is some great advice floating around. I believe the thread is now at over 1300 pages, so there's plenty of backtracking to be done if you get bored!

As with most things, you'll get out what you put in. Post lyrics and songs for review, get involved in the discussion and ask questions as you have them. The more you are involved the more people will be inclined to help you and the more you'll be able to get out of it.

So get involved. Whether you're just starting out or whether you're a seasoned writer, getting some peer review never hurt, and being among such creative people is a real motivator to keep pushing yourself to write better and better things.

That’s all for now, I'll be back soon with a few other nuggets!

Jc

What am I thinking?

So why start a blog about songwriting? That's the question I've been thinking about all morning and, frankly, I have yet to come up with a good answer. My purpose seems to meander between shameless self-promotion and self motivation, and a desire to help others learn a few of the lessons that I have learned, forgotten, and then learned again. There is also a little desire to bring back some craft to songwriting and to understand what makes people tick and what makes them think one of my songs is great, while another sucks. I even have some desire to learn a little about myself along the way. Pretty lofty goals you say? Me too. I'll probably give up next week.

It is a hope to all those who want to make a career in music saying "yes, you can make a few bucks." And also a warning that those few bucks come at a personal price that some people won't be able to justify. Heavy stuff. I'd like to examine some of my favorite songs to understand what makes the lines so great. I'd like to chart my development as a writer, including some of the times where I head bravely and foolishly in the wrong direction and, occasionally, the right one.

Mostly though, I'd like it to be a bit of a laugh. Preferably at my expense.