Online Tool Store
Nashville Number Converter
Convert a chord progression to Nashville number notation and back into any key, so a chart transposes in seconds rather than by hand.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.
Education
Nashville Number Converter
Frontend preview — no upload or external service.
Converted chart
G Em C D in G is 1 6m 4 5. In B♭ that becomes B♭ Gm E♭ F — the same progression, transposed without touching a single chord by hand.
How the Nashville Number Converter works
- Enter the chords and the key they are written in.
- Convert to numbers, which describe the progression independently of key.
- Pick the target key and read the chords out — the numbers stay the same, which is the entire point.
The method
Each number is a scale degree, so the progression is described by relationships rather than by absolute chords.
in any major key: 1 major, 2 minor, 3 minor, 4 major, 5 major, 6 minor, 7 diminished
1 6m 4 5 is the same progression in every key, which is why a Nashville chart can be transposed on stage by naming a different key.
FAQ
Why use numbers rather than chord names?
Because a singer changing key means rewriting an entire chart in chord names, and changing nothing in numbers. It is why session players in Nashville adopted it — a key change becomes a spoken instruction.
Numbers or Roman numerals?
Nashville charts use Arabic numerals with a lowercase m for minor. Classical analysis uses Roman numerals with case indicating quality. Same underlying idea, different conventions and audiences.
How are borrowed chords written?
With an accidental before the number — ♭7 for a flat seventh, ♭3 for a flat third. That keeps chords from outside the key readable without abandoning the system.
How we compare
| Feature | Online Tool Store | Pen and paper | A classroom platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both directions | ✓ | One way | ✓ |
| Roman numeral option | ✓ | ✗ | Sometimes |
| No account | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Works offline once loaded | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Nashville Number Converter goes both ways, which is what makes a chart written in numbers transposable to any key on the spot.