Nashville Number System Lesson 7 – Alternative Double Stop Patterns
In this lesson, Megan Lynch Chowning provides two alternative double stop patterns which offer new ways to chop, fill, and solo using The Nashville Number System. While Megan teaches this series of lessons from a bluegrass standpoint, these concepts also apply to country, gospel, and other American styles of music. We hope you enjoy this excerpt of the course.
Here are links to the rest of this great lesson series:
- The Nashville Number System Lesson 1 – “The Fiddle Capo”
- The Nashville Number System Lesson 2 – Chopping and Basic Fills
- The Nashville Number System Lesson 3 – Advanced Fills and “The Money Lick”
- The Nashville Number System Lesson 4 – The Pentatonic Scale
- The Nashville Number System Lesson 5 – Basic Soloing
- The Nashville Number System Lesson 6 – Advanced Soloing
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Wow Megan,
Thanks for this series…I don’t have to learn all my tunes in all keys, the patterns fit all the keys, so now I have to learn to sing. And I’m going to have fun on the Wharf in Santa Cruz playing for the sea lions again. I have to relearn the CodFish Ball.
Now to Practice…Thanks again, you always give value that exceeds the expense. I hope I can do this till I graduate to the next life.
Thanks Megan. Yet another outstanding lesson!! Have to work on my singing!!!
I’ve been playing fidding since age 42, or at least put I some hours at that age during and after a trip to Ireland. . But then I became more adept on DADGAD guitar. Played professionally at Universal Studios Japan from its opening in 2001 for 5 years. But as they say, “all the other instruments are your girlfriends; the fiddle is your wife.” So, living 10 years in the boonies in Japan, Mie prefecture, I’ve had many years at progressing slowly. Thanks to your lessons, progress seems sped up. I love Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, and Megan, you’re so brilliant!
Thanks for the great feedback, folks. I’ve passed these comments along to Megan! I like that quote, Peter!
Thanks for this great series on the Nashville System for fiddle. I’m all over playing the I, IV and V now… Wow!….Is there an easy way to play a ii, iii, or vi chord using the “first finger capo?” I think I need more theory…
Hey Joe. Glad you enjoyed the series.
Three chords come up really rarely, but you’re on point with the 2- and 6- (- denotes minor). For the 2- chord, you could bar the second finger above the first across both strings. Alternatively, you could use the second finger on the higher of the two strings you currently are barring and play a first finger on the string above. So if you were using the capo system in the key of E, this would mean your second finger would be playing a C# on the A string and your first would be playing a F# on the E string. Alternatively you could use your second finger on the D string to catch the F# and use your high third finger on the G string to play a C#.
For a 6- chord in the E key example, you can use the same pattern you currently use for the 4 chord, or you could leave the first finger in place on the D string (E note) and add in a high 3rd finger on the G string (C#).
Hope that helps! The NNS is worth understanding…pretty soon you will be charting tunes in your head as you listen to the radio…that’s a great way to build your ear/improve skills out, sir.
All the best!
Megan,
Your Number System instruction is outstanding and enlightening. Your methodology should replace conventional violin instruction. I am serious.
This was spot on! Totally perfect. Can’t stop thinking about a bus with a Weber grill on the back. 🙂
But can you do it again? I love minor songs. Can you simplify the theory in minor with an anchor pattern?
Also, Dorian and more exotic stuff in harmonic minor – even Klemer tunes after seeing Fiddler on the Roof. 🙂
I’ve played Irish fiddle for years and recently was asked to play with a Bluegrass band. I’ve been fretting over how I was going to memorize all the chord progressions – a completely new concept to me. This series makes me feel like I might be able to contribute musically and not totally freak out. I think I might really enjoy this new challenge. Thank you! This series makes the concepts so accessible.
Great to hear, Gardner. That’s the point!!
Wow, this whole series has been a real eye opener for me. One night I started with lesson one and could not stop until
I finished lesson seven. Megan is a wonderful teacher and can keep your attention until your brain explodes. Needless to say, I was up very late that night. I am a guitar player and very familiar with patterns and the Nashville Number System. But It never entered my mind to approach the fiddle using patterns. Sometimes you just get caught up on the weeds. Thanks again for opening up my mind. Now I will go back and start with lesson one again. This time not so late at night. (:
totally kick &*^!! Loved it all. I too was wondering about the minors….just flat the third,,,, humm.
QUESTION ABOUT 2: if D is 1 then A is 5 and G is 4 – open strings = 1-4-5 BUT 2 (the next most useful chord in blues and other musics) is then E so our open strings are in D 4-1-5-2 !!!! could you please give us some elements to use this 2 (make it a chord) this would be a fantastic complement to these amazing lessons! many thanks for kicking our butts with this system!