Music Theory III: Popular Music in Practice: The Nashville Number Tradition

This course is an immersive foray into the organizational features of popular music as it is practiced by Nashville session musicians. Students will analyze, discuss, and deepen their understanding of popular music by honing their listening skills so they can better communicate with other musicians. To this end, we will focus on the practical aspects of making and understanding commercial popular music. Students will learn the basics of making Nashville number charts, an efficient yet robust system for quickly conveying musical information to performers. (MUSC 0260 or MUSC 0101) 3 hrs. lect./disc.