Today’s video is one of my off-the-cuff “video blog” posts, because sometimes it’s just easier to show you than tell you something 🙂
One of my students was asking about the song “Can’t You See” by Marshall Tucker which, while it isn’t blues, certainly has some bluesy elements.
He knows how to play the song, but wanted to change the key and needed some guidance so here are some ideas that you could apply to a lot of different tunes…
So try it out for yourself and see if you can do it too.
62 replies to "Can’t You See?"
Hey Griff, Great lesson, but wondering if by changing to A would be better to use a Capo?
Thanks
Michael-Sydney-Australia Oct 17,2020
Great tune by a songwriter who grasped how easy it was to do southern rock using the 5-4-1 progression. (Ed King did the same with Sweet Home Alabama).
Waylon Jennings version is in the original G (5-4-1) and is my favorite.
As usual I am blessed by Griff’s generosity and patience. Thanks man.
Hi Griff,
Can one guitar play in ‘A’ like you explained and other guitar play in ‘D’ as usual when this song ‘Can’t you see’ is performed and sound together but with a different voicing and not be a train wreck?
Allen
You’d get a lot of sus4 chords (see some of the explanations for how the G7sus4 chord you hear at the beginning of Hard Day’s Night was created). But, if you move Can’t You See to A you get Dear Mr. Fantasy by Traffic.
Thanks for this timely lesson. I’ve been changing keys for my vocal range but hit those awkward moments you illustrated. You showed simple solutions to these tonal idiosyncrasies. All the best to you and you’re team.
you’ve a fantastic blog right here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my blog?
Nice work on the open strings…Thanks Griff
Any chance you could get back to the reason and theory of why it is not actually in the key of D?
Bill – All the chords are major (no flatted thirds). In the key of D, there is no C-Major chord, the chords at D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm, C#mflat5. Griff can correct me, but I think that technically a song with D, C9, and G is in the key of G, and the progression starts on the V chord (D) and goes V-IV9-I. I hope that this helps.
Hi Griff,
Thanks for the lesson. Please,please,please could you give us a lesson
with the Gov`t Mule song “Banks of the deep end” ???.
This would be great.
Thanks a lot.
Heli
Griff: A great change up and some theory for a reason. I like that too. I agree with imi and need advice on the various amp settings occasionally, if possible. Thanks again for great lessons. Your band is very good.
Thanks for all valuable and generous Guitar info. You have written and recorded for followers and May you are not aware how they are important for those people who live in restricted countries such as Iran. We even must buy just very simple Guitar strings about $100 that most of them are out of date cause my country is under sanction Any way, I ask you something and be glad and appreciated if you kindly guide me. You are playing Electrical guitar in this movie without any effect or amp and as these instruments are very expensive in Iran I want to install very simple software from internet to make a jazz or rock sounds (Just to make sounds, not for recording or mixing or professional activities) just makes a sound like the time you play and teach us some techniques, be glad if you kindly guide me in this regard. My electric guitar is durell arya and my laptop is sony with 32bit win7.
Today I find out you are gaining weight because in this T-shirt your stomach is ……! Why? Just pulling your leg !
If it’s possible send to my Email,please
imi
Hang in there Imi, hopefully one day those in your country in power will modernize and see the light.
Another example where Caged Unleashed makes total sense of the guitar arrangement concepts in this video.
First off great lesson griff and I’m happy to be one of your students here in the uk,I’m also looking forward to the blues guitar unleashed uk in October in Yorkshire, going to be a great weekend,also your a great teacher and I agree if you take the rules of blues,this song is not blues but it does contain some bluesy bits and some things you can use in blues guitar.i will say this learning new songs helps you develop your blues skills if you can play let’s say an Eric Clapton lick in A then you can play that lick in any key just by moving your root note from the A to say C now you can play that lick in the key of C and so on which again well help you here that licks sound in different keys then you will no which one sounds good to you .and please who puts a capo on an electric learn your chords when you learn an A chord learn to play that A chord all over the neck not just in open position
A little weak for griff standards
Jabip,
Why the negative comment? Griff spends a lot of extra time and effort for his student’s benefit at no extra cost. Not every email hits everyones “sweet spot” but even if the topic isn’t exactly what you want at the time, there is almost always some little useful tidbit in all of his videos, even if it just reinforces something you already know. Griff goes way beyond his obligation as a teacher by sending all of these extra lessons. It is a testimony to how much Griff loves to teach and to pass along the art of Blues Guitar to his “parishioners” in his “House of Blues”.
Is that a line 6 James Taylor ? I really like the paint job and it sounds god too.
What about the right hand griff?
Hmmm another rerun…seems to never have anything new anymore…always reruns from the past
Griff,
I see the guitar you were playing is unusual….not one[1]for you[usual]also…James Tyler???
It’s Custom made…right??
Thanks
Hi Griff, great lesson! If you could, it would be great if you could do a lesson on “One Way Out” which IS a blues tune! Maybe you could point out the differences between the versions performed by The Allman Brothers and Mike Bloomfield. Thanks for all these great lessons!
I would, love, to be able to whip out a rendition of that song! I think I know which one Ed’s referring to; “an’t but one wait out…lord I just can’t go out that door…” That song has flooded my conciseness since my youth!
I think any lesson that talks about changing keys, chord embellishment, a moving bass line. if possible, is a great lesson. Just listening and watching this video gave me sounds that I might want to incorporate into stuff that I am working on, which makes it so invaluable watching another guitar player do stuff on his guitar. Very good lesson as far as I am concerned…Paul
Griff, I guess I would have to disagree with you. I think “Can’t you see” is blues. Great video though.
I saw these guys in Oakland back in the day. The guitar player was a thumb picker, Great show! Thanks for sharing Griff!
Hi Griff, Love all the lessons and free videos. But I’m confused about the “key of D”.
Since I always played this song as D, C , G (not the C 9) I always saw the major chords as 5,4,1 in key of G.
My band in the 90s had a lead guitarist (ex-brother-in-law) who nailed it note for note.
Can you help me understand?
Regards,
Ken (singer and sloppy guitarist)
As a Guitarist I have understood the idea and adding some innovation ,which you have explained very well . However I must say I am not yet that advanced to try it and give my cooments . But it is from you Griff it has to be good . At my level I keep doing similar changes and try to get new sound . You are a Great teacher to me . Thanks
Love the song and Griffs video.Always nice to play the classics. Would like to hear some ZZ Top.Great instruction video by Griff.
That is the worst scrambled lesson I have ever ever seen you do , not even end sure what your teaching . Sorry
It’s great the way you teach Griff,better the way others,keep up the good work.
Great video Griff. I have all your lessons and e mail videos and they are all excellent and you can use this one in a lot of tunes. You just start improvising. Thanks again .
I hope this is helpful.
The way you describe the voicing of the chords reminds me of a discussion of inversions in a music theory course I had. The theory course was keyboard oriented so it was much easier to visualize than on a guitar. Griff, I know you understand this but to any other out there who may not know what I’m talking about, take the basic C chord – the notes are C, E and G – root, 3rd and 5th. The first inversion is E, G and C – you just move the root up the keyboard to the next C and you have a C chord starting on the E. The second inversion moves the note E up to the next E and the second inversion/voicing is G, C,then E. The layout of a keyboard is way less complicated than a guitar neck but even not playing keys, it is very clear how the inversions/voicing works if you look at it starting with the linear layout of a keyboard. same C chord but it sounds different for each inversion on the keyboard, and voicing on the guitar.
Regarding Can’t You See, many people play the whole song (in the key of D)the same way as the intro the whole way through. Actually, Marshall Tucker changes that D then D with the C note at the bottom of the chord (especially during the verse) for the classic D7 chord – on the D, G, B and E strings respectively – open D string, A on the G string, C on the B string and F# on the E string. Someone pointed that out to me a while back, a real D’oh moment when I listened to it again. Kind of subtle but it differentiates the verses.
Your right about very incorrect versions on line . I think some of thoes poeple are tone deaf . I have played this song many times and after seeing you play it there is only one diffrence . The c that you use is a c9 I have always used a c . Seems that Mr Toy Caldwell was a very talened guitarist and is noted as one of the best song writters of all time . Was able to see him once in hartford connecticut along with johnathan edwards and pure pairie league what a night . The roof on the collisium caved in a few days later . We got over a foot of snow over night.
This guy that You tried to help out with a cord conversion WELL tell him to maybe flatten the tuning on his guitar . seems to me a better choice . I jam this tune with bar cords and still the vocal part isnt to hard and i am a baratone . The cadd9 is a cool sounding cord I like it. Saw Toy really tear the hell outta this tune soloing. I got a new site for tab so far the cords are right on. happy hunting
Hey Man if You useing D C G look at it like this 5 4 1 use E D A. I tried it seems like its the same. Sounds okay depends where your level of playing is at. For me it opened a new idea for the solo. How about just flatten the tuning and play it .
Great lesson on voicing. I’ve watched and tried to play along twice. Makes great sense and very helpful to grasp the issues of chord voicing. I think I got it. Thank you for all your help.
Hey Griff thanks for another great video. Your James Tyler guitar is my favorite guitar of yours. It just has an amazing sound I absolutely love it.
Hey Griff thanks for that lesson. I love that song. If you would like to hear a great version of that song go to You Tube and look up Matt Mingelwood or The Minglewood Band. They are an east coast band from Nova Scotia ,Canada. He adds a little extra at the beginning,but be patient. It’s a great version ,I’m sure you will like it,it’s kind of blues and rock.
Later
Kevin
I Have to agree with Kevin. Matt Minglewodd from Glace Bay Nova Scotia is a ledgend on the east coast of Canada. I understand why you chose the A chord to transpose to ( Because the student asked for it in A.) All in all a good lesson Griff. Great stuff thanks
Great video , I love the theory , don’t know why but I get off on it , go figure ! Oh , and I love that song , so good choice. Thanks Griff, again!
This is one of my favorite tunes and I usually play the progression just about every time I pick up the guitar.
The weird little video actually helped me see a relationship that helped me grasp a music theory concept a little better. All of the free videos are a nice bonus to the courses you offer. Keep them coming. Thank you Mr. Hamlin.
Damn right I see.
Griff:
I’ve been working on “Can’t you see”. Could
you do a video on the strumming pattern used in the original recording?
Tom Gracen
Nice change of pace I really enjoyed it. Thanks……………
Best Regards, Vic
this tune , is so close to a coutry song i wrote. it’s in g, with the hamer ons going onto the 2nd fret 4th string to th 5th and back again. it called “can’t stop thinking about you baby”. when yoy first played the D chord, it souneded like your flanger effects was on. then i think you turned it off. sound great with flange!
Hi! While shopping (in this case “Soloist Blues Sound”); I enjoy the odd “experiences” your Virses answers to one – who is in a new description!
First – Acoustic verses Electric! BUSK verses Group! At this point – your videos take the Door Banger Intellect away from objects of choice!
Thankyou,
Thanks! I learn something new from you almost every time I watch these videos
Thanks Griff love those little impromptu lessons they have that relaxed let’s jam feel !
Far out, I was just figuring out what you are explaining in this video as it arrived.
We call that Frog timing in our house.
And the fact that the notes used are not exactly as it was first recorded, but still sound very much like the original, is it not true that it moves the song from the classic rock category to “JAZ”?
Thanks for that one Griff. I have spent a lot of time trying to match riffs and sounds when transposing by ear, often had to just use the capo if I cant get close enough. The way you brake it down to chord voicing is something I had never thought of. I must add that a couple of years back I would not have been able to follow this video as I, like many others , learned chords from charts and shapes not notes and scale degrees but thanks to your teaching I have progressed far beyond my expectations.
Definetly helpful, Griff. Thank you for that. Much of the “classic” Rock of yore, southern rock, etc. has Bluesy elements indeed. That is the main reason I’m involved in your courses. The lessons on BGU directly help me play great stuff like what you just shown us. See you next time.
@Mike, Capo takes it up too high, sounds better down where it’s at to me and better for my vocal range.
way cool-thanks for the refresher…D,A,E or C,G variation makes it much easier to grasp.
“Can’t You See” is one of those rare songs I was able to “hear” and play, lead parts and everything, when the record came out (I was 19 then). I worked at a record store and they played this album about 20 times a day.
I was thinking, you could also capo the 7th fret and play the same chord forms as you would play in the key of D, and be in the key of A, however it might be too high to sing. I tried it and it sounded a bit like a mandolin, however my singing was better in A. With a bass doing the bass part (always a good idea) I think a band could pull it off. I sing better in the key of A opposed to the key of D, so this comes up with other songs.
Thanks. ..learning about voicings of the notes
Thanks again Griff I will give it a shot
Why didn’t he just use a capo?
Hi Griff,
Thanks for the lnfo. I would like to know how to play a major lead over the song.
The lead part is not that hard. It is loosely based around a major scale opposed to the minor pentatonic or blues scale. MT used the same scale in different octaves. In the key of D in the primary position, you play the lead part beginning with the open D string. Similar to the run in “Tennessee Stud” by Doc Watson. Once I learned this scale it became my go to scale for most county or country rock songs.
If you capo up to the 7th fret you would play the same pattern, although a capo cuts the fret board in half so you are somewhat limited.
Man, that sure helped me a lot. I can’t sing it in D, so I had to try and play it in A and I was having a lot of trouble getting it to sound right! Thank you so much!