How I use chord numbers (and why)

[@JazzSkills]

Related lesson: minor II Vs (II Vs leading to minors) kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4aoiJuenZpnfs0

[@mordy91]

@JazzSkills what notation/audio software are you using at 11:15 to sync the real audio backing tracks with the playback position of the cursor/playhead in the digital notation ?

[@DrewLind_]

Being mostly educated in 'classical' piano - reading music and playing all the right notes perfectly and that's it, I never was taught WHY all those notes and chords were in that particular order. It's been great to realize that chord numbers fit in ALL music and can teach us a lot about common influences across genres

[@teach-learn4078]

Yes, not much in classical theory for most people beyond rudiments and I-IV, IV-V, V-I. I did a harmony class and learned about tonic, dominant, and sub-dominant, and 'secondary dominant,' which is what "2-5 of 6" or "2-5 of 2" is. Unfortunately however much as I liked the instructor personally we never sang our harmonizations, and I thought it was all about applying rules. This is great advice. A jazz friend suggested learning a tune in all keys, which I tried and went down in flames over. But learning a tune in maybe 3 keys should be doable.

[@CatioChic3catsJazz]

Shan, your smart tunes and this very concept have removed STRESS from my playing…. I am constantly returning to ONLY comping on them and singing the Roman numerals as I play. I refresh my knowledge of the language this way when I return to a tune I haven’t played in a while….. using your smart tunes. It snaps back into shape quickly.

[@slaneyaudio1948]

We lost another jazz great today. Joey DeFrancesco was an American jazz organist, trumpeter, saxophonist and occasional singer. He released more than 30 albums under his own name, & recorded extensively as a side musician with such leading performers as Miles Davis. R.I.P.

[@slaneyaudio1948]

Warren Bernhardt also passed away this week… Steps Ahead, Steely Dan etc.

[@ianrichards5742]

Wow you make this so easy to understand thank sir

[@JazzSkills]

Happy to help and thanks for your comment.

[@bobryan8793]

Appreciate you sir 🙏..... Played clubs for 45 years Playing country swing we use numbers for years now I play standards numbers are everything thank you very much sir

[@jayceejackson3584]

Being self taught I learned a long time ago that the numbering system works best. All of my sheet music books have the chord numbers written. I like the part where you speak on the language and similarities which is something that I haven’t really thought about til now.

[@dathyr1]

I find playing chords by the numbers allows me to play in different key signatures better or easier rather than what is written on the sheet music. It just takes some practice to break/get away from the old techniques of chord names all the time. Nice video.

[@whitestealthable]

Great lesson! I have been away from playing since the beginning of the pandemic and l decided that l would learn the chords again in a 'more organized manner' instead of what the songs l play require. Using the number of the chord, or degree would make a good addition to this. I'll look at your links and other lessons for anything else reinforces this. And yes, l was reading the chords instead of degree before...

[@StratsRUs]

Thank you. You pace everything perfectly.

[@slaneyaudio1948]

Excellent clarity of thought. Thank you. I learned the Nashville Number System years ago for Guitar. An absolute Godsend for doing live session and studio work on new or unfamiliar tunes. I cannot emphasize enough the purpose and power of daily ear training from day one. It becomes a lifelong learning process and it's your best friend on stage and always with you and sometimes hard to turn off..when you want to relax and just listen to music. It's in out DNA I suppose. About 5 years ago or so, I got first time guitar students who hadn't heard or knew of any Beatles tunes before that I use to get them up and running. Strange times indeed. Once they could play 3 or 4 tunes then we break them down and get into the music. That way they always have reference points to work from at home when learning the chord structures. It's all about relationships I suppose and chords alone don't tell you the full story. But it's a good place to start.

[@claudiakramer4516]

another option is to categorize them as types of modalities. In modal Jazz, i is the root, the flat iii is a chromatic cadential, ii is a non-cadential and vi is anothef chromatic cadential. In this regard, you can take a modal inprint from standards and pretty much play any chord that fit the modal function. In F, it could be Dm7 - B dim - Gm9 - Bb7#5, in voicings that cannot be named. Both the number system from functional harmony and modal system from modal are equally good at learning how to reharnonize, depending on how vague you want to be

[@NizJazzBTC]

Great video once again. The message of understanding functional harmony on the fly is what I took away from it. I think it comes with time and practice but we need to be thinking in this way to begin with. So many benefits here for the improvisor. Cheers!

[@danthegeetarman]

Amazing video. Makes so much sense. I’ll be updating all my charts with the numbers from here on out. Liked and subscribed 🙏🙏

[@JazzSkills]

Awesome Daniel!

[@gabrielefavale3892]

I'm still working on your "Shan's moods" with roman numerals and I believe it's really useful. I'm starting to see structures in standards ! Thank you Shan

[@lucidiofuenmayor2166]

This was so helpful!! Thank you

[@JazzSkills]

You're so welcome!

[@nate.5642]

functions are what made music so much more fun for me

[@joyfulfrequencies5391]

Thank you..! This has to be the very basic reminder.

[@EdGentry]

Thanks so much, I've been looking for this kind of clarity.

[@eydiguttason1961]

Yes all tunes and music has DNA thanks

[@CorreeHoey]

Your intros are always amazing. Are there any videos that talk about your direct approaches to inversions/movements within the melody that are more advanced? Outside of the Barry Harris 6th diminished. More so a real time application. I would be very interested to see content like that!! Maybe a video of you playing a standard with your own variations and pausing at will to explain your thought process! Anyways, Great stuff as usual!

[@dartek14]

thanks your teaching focus is getting through, I don't fear numbers but I do know there are conventional sounds of progressions in the more advanced universe, eg 3dim 2 as in 16 3dim 2

[@faqtum]

Thank you Shan. Very clear. Now comes the tricky part. 🎶

[@JazzSkills]

You mean the fun part? :)

[@faqtum]

@@JazzSkills a combination of frustration, achievements, challenges, art, spirit and fun. Thank you teacher!

[@Stewartaj2010]

Sean can you do a "tough love" one on how to remember the voicings I used to sweeten and personalize the song. Using chord numbers helps to remember the lead sheet version of the song...but remembering the movements and voicings I used a year ago to sweeten it is lost to memory.

[@olchum6013]

Loving these videos! Thank you :)

[@louismaiden8360]

wonderful videos

[@12377max]

I really like this approach and am encouraged that this can work on all standards. I have watched tutorials on how to harmonic analysis, but sometimes, when I go to apply it to a different tune from a fakebook, I will find a chord or series of chords that doesn't seem to fit the set patterns I have learned (up to that point) to recognize. Then I am stuck. I think this course you offer will help me with that problem.

[@JazzSkills]

Hi Chris, Yes. You'll certainly learn to solve that problem on Jazz Skills and you can ask me for help as a member any time.

[@12377max]

@@JazzSkills Awesome.. Thank you!

[@seanonel]

Thank you Shan.

[@binebum1]

So nice to listen to this without him bashing my ear superfast!

[@johnhartley3022]

Been using the nashville number system for decades. Way easier to transpose tunes and keep track of thechanges

[@unclemick-synths]

I'm a bit of a rookie at this so a lot is going over my head but my first take-away is to write down the list of chords for the key signature of the piece against their chord numbers before trying to analyze.

[@dwaynemusik]

I wish I had that knowledge wow !!!

[@urbangorilla33]

Great video!

[@Learn_Listen_Love]

Great 👍 teaching

[@JazzSkills]

Thanks for watching

[@JoeLinux2000]

I think what you call chord numbers are better described as Roman numerals. Actually as far as I know Roman numeral chords begin to break down once you go into temporary key changes. For one thing, when you are saying you are playing "F Maj," You are actually playing an F Maj 7 which has an "E" It could be a I chord in the Key of F or a IV in the key of C. Roman Numeral Chords help to define function. You are a very good player and have a lot to offer.

[@JazzSkills]

I'm happy with "chord numbers" thanks. They haven't broken down in anything I've played. It's normal for a jazz player to describe a Maj7 chord as Major.. Anything else? :)

[@maloneycraig]

And I’ve just been working my romance in all twelve keys :) can you think of the b3dim in b3dim->ii as a sub for the 6 dominant (five of two)?

[@rdwwdr3520]

You are GREAT!

[@TheRealSandleford]

For me its easier to remember tunes writing out the numbers. Can people identify tunes just by the chord progression ever? Here is one roughly in order. but if its tough to do it would not matter too much. Hint not a standard but pop song from 60s era. 6/m 2/7 4/M 1/6 x1 intro 1/M 6/m 3/m 5 x2 verse 1/M 6/m 4/m 5 chorus 6/m 2/7 4/m 5 1 post chorus like post chorus 2nd post chorus ends with 1/M-1/M7-6/m

[@mordy91]

@JazzSkills what notation/audio software are you using at 11:15 to sync the real audio backing tracks with the cursor/playhead in the notation ?

[@kengreenberg6884]

Superb presentation, Shan!

[@JazzSkills]

Many thanks and I wish you well with your playing!

[@ClaudioPallone]

Hi Shaun, great lesson again. It has been a while since I lost joined the site. Can you please tell me the name of the full songs you teach in the site? When I last joined there wasn't many songs, there was more exercises and short videos of songs.

[@jenniferausann-hutchison2347]

Hi Shan... you mentoned a video re melody during the chord number video ...do you have one pelase Gwyn

[@nickbruno2072]

I wonder how your music teacher would write the number chords to the song "Anytime", made popular by Eddy Arnold? In that song the 6 and 2 and 3 chords are all Major!

[@JazzSkills]

I just had a quick listen to that for you. Those chords are dominant chords (not Maj) so it would be: VI7 II7 V (no 7 on the V as it's already dominant) I

[@jaddaj5881]

When translating into numbers what do you do when there’s a key change in the song? Ie you might have ii,V, I but in a different key to the original key. Any tricks to remember the key change, and be able to transpose the ii,V, I correctly?

[@glennbrown2830]

Really good enjoyed... How would you. write slash chords (Valentine) with numbers...or if you have tunes with key changes eg All the things you are?Glenn

[@andersonlarios7257]

What’s a difference a day makes sounds So much like “cuando vuelva a tu lado.” From Luis Miguel

[@andersonlarios7257]

Turns out it’s the same song. Apparently it was originally wrote in Spanish by Maria Grever and then popularized by Dinah Washington. At least according to google

[@JonathanOvnat]

Why II7 and not V/V?

[@greggakkerman]

Well explained. Heavy stuff. I suppose that's why your book shelves are starting to give 🙂

[@slaneyaudio1948]

Test

[@JazzSkills]

1, 2, 3...

[@slaneyaudio1948]

@@JazzSkills Hiya mate. Checking if my last comment went through. apparentky not. It might be in my history or gone to the Great Lost Property Comment Repository in the ether.

[@slaneyaudio1948]

3rd time. I give up. It's disappeard again....

[@KirkDickinson]

It bothers me to not see the minors in lower case. Just looks wrong.

[@JazzSkills]

My minors are in lower case. Maybe not on roman numerals but that's normal. Hopefully, you got the real message of the lesson.

[@KirkDickinson]

@@JazzSkills I meant lowercase Roman numerals. I ii iii IV V vi vii I am not a keyboard player. I am a bass player, but I enjoy watching all types of videos like this.

[@JazzSkills]

@KirkDickinson You're very welcome here but I don't think you're going to enjoy my minors much. Lowercase minors may be a preference for some but they really make no difference once you start to get variations from the basis chords in a key. When you have a D7 in the key of C, there's no point using lowercase for the II. It's going to be II7 for me.

[@BestFitSquareChannel]

🔥 🎹 🎶 🫶🏼 🖖🏽

[@studiosys]

The problem is, on your musical journey, the 'harmonic functions' are HIDDEN by the different keys that are presented to you , if everytune was written in ONE key ( boring we know) the functions would be much more obvious , a differnt key is almost like a different language , even now after 20 years if you were throw YESTERDAY ( for eg ) at me in Gb i would be struggling . Also so called MUSCLE MEMORY often works against you ( when your NOT reading ) , your brain has mapped out the structure of a key , all your licks and tricks , then you move to a different key and those memory TRIGGERS are all washed away ,,, its a real dilemma ,,, but then thats what keeps you coming back to " play the game " !!!!

[@JazzSkills]

I play tunes in different keys most days. It keeps me fresh (and humble lol!)

[@1950francesca]

If I am stuck in my effort to "numerically analyze" the chords in a song, I try transposing it to the key of C. The lack of sharps and flats in C make it much easier for me as a relative beginner to figure out the chord progressions in that way, as all those chords and scale degrees are familiar. Once you have it down in C, you can then go back and play your song in its original key and apply the numbers there.