Hi,
I just stocked in Module 9 “Nashville Number System”. Maybe its just a matter of translation (english → german), but I dont get it. I have seen such a system never ever.
Is it really that important? Is it really that magic, super-mystery system that changes the world of music? 
Is there anyone around, that also have difficulties?
Thanks 🤹
Do you need the 12 bar blues form specifically? No, not necessarily.
Do you need to know the scale intervals and what relative keys/chords are rooted at each? I would say yes, as it will make things much, much easier if you ever intend to play with other people, or to write your own music. Basically the system tells you which notes will sound good to play for a given chord progression in a song.
No, it’s not magical.
No, it’s not mysterious.
Can you live without it? Sure.
Is it commonly used in music? Yes.
Is it a good thing to know and understand ? Absolutely YES!
Thank you for your feedback.
Hmmmm… 
Maybe I should do more digging into it.
Maybe I will find a german description as well…
The notation I more commonly use is the roman numeral system:
They more or less are the same thing.
Basically it simplifies music, you only have to remember number sequences and then plug in the key (root) it makes communicating with others easier, makes changing keys easier, once you have enough sequences in your head it makes figuring songs by ear easier because many popular songs use the same Nashville combinations… if you recently started to play it’s not going to be that exciting or even useful right now, if you don’t plan to be playing with different people on a regular basis it might never be a thing that you refer to regularly… it’s perfectly normal not to be impressed by this, I don’t think language was the issue, I can see this being more aplicable to guitar early on where you can just strum your way even as a noob by following different Nashville combinations
I love the Roman numeral system, I use it all the time. Nashville I have used zero times 
+1 to what @Reo said…. When jamming with a lot of different groups or musicians, the leader might say something like “Key of C,… 1,4,5…. That would instantly tell everyone that the song will be played in the key of C with a progression of C, F, G…. All you have to do then is use your ear and listen for the change ups…. I use it all the time when playing with people I’ve never played with before…
Nashville system also commonly uses a “-” for minor instead of an “m”.
I can’t make heads nor tails of Nashville, I have tried.
Why?
Probably because I’m dyslexic and all those letters don’t compute in my head. Looks like a jumble of the alphabet to me.
On bass it’s actually much easier to not try and memorize that at all, and just use the scale intervals with the scale shapes. All you need to memorize are the top two lines, above the chart 
Minor has the same pattern but rotated by six scale degrees.
There’s an even easier way to know it but I am going to not spoil because it is obvious when you approach it as scale intervals, and it’s an a-ha moment 
IIRC Josh actually teaches the Roman Numeral system in the course but calls it the Nashville Number system 
Probably for the best, I think it is more useful and much easier to read.
What is the difference between the “Roman Numeral system” and the Nashville number system?
I thought they were the same?
They convey the same information in the same way but with different notation. I like the Roman Numeral notation better.
vs
For beginners wondering why they can’t soak up all this and use it in real time…it takes years of practice.
@Lanny (and some others here) has been playing and playing with others for a long, long time, so all this stuff has been internalized and he can use it like he uses English to speak without having to pause to think about what and how to say the next words in a sentence.
So if you are still “new” to music and playing, and by ‘new’ I mean in your first few years as a hobbyist….don’t beat yourself up about not ‘getting it’. Just keep doing things to beat it into your brain. You will have small moments of ‘ah-haness’, and over time these will connect and you will get good at this.
Thanks. Sounds reasonable.
Its all logic for sure, but sometimes I have to give some more time to get it.
Great advise @John_E…
We all learn our own way…. Many here know that I don’t do tabs - yet I know how they work,… I don’t do notation - yet I know how it works,…. I don’t do Nashville numbers - yet I know how it works…. You just need to find a way that works best for “YOU”…… Knowing these things is ALWAYS good - setting them as your preference is totally up to you…
I’m dyslexic - have been my entire life, so “seeing” things like tabs and notation have (and still to this day) screw me up…. As a result, I devised my own way of making things work “for me”…. I still to this day use my own form, and have also taught it to my kids and grandkids whether on guitar or bass…
Every song is played in a specific key. Every song’s structure has it’s own “road map” that can include one or more of those 8 notes in that key. I teach them to learn the basic road map first - don’t worry about all the “fluff” in between those basic root notes - just focus on those root notes because they are the “basic road map” for a song…
It’s kinda like if you were to take a road trip from Atlanta to Dallas…. The “main” (fastest/easiest) route is always the same - the fluff (or fills) are like taking side roads that are always more fun and interesting, but you will always come back to the main route… otherwise, you can get lost…. So, the root notes are always the main route. Learn them FIRST, and learn to be in time with them (timing being the “speed limit”….
Once you can get from point A to point B, and stay at the speed limit, it is then (and only then) when you can begin to take those “side roads” and experience different scenery (cool fills)…
Bing dyslexic, when I look at either tabs or notation, my brain gets confused. When I look at bass tabs, I see 4 lines with numbers (same with notation with dots on lines). My brain has never been able to keep it all straight (guitar was even worse) so, what I’ve learn to use for myself was to create my own transcription language that works for me…
Instead of lines and numbers (or black dots), I always start out transcribing the main route using the string I will play the root note on along with the fret number that the root note is to be played on. For instance, “A-5” would mean “A string 5th fret” and so on…. I never map out any of the fills between root notes since they are the side routes that could change depending on how I feel like playing the song at the time… this is where using your “ear” comes in handy…
The trick is, to ALWAYS learn the road map (roots), and ALWAYS stay within the speed limit (timing). From there, the sky’s the limit!!
Keep on Thumpin’!
Lanny
