If you try to play the Can't You Hear Me Knocking chords in standard tuning, it’s going to sound... fine. Just fine. But "fine" isn't why you’re picking up a guitar to play the opening track of the Rolling Stones' 1971 masterpiece, Sticky Fingers. To get that raunchy, percussive, almost piano-like snap that Keith Richards gets, you have to ditch the EADGBE mindset entirely.
Most people pull up a tab, see an Open G tuning mentioned, and think, "I'll just transpose it." Don't do that. You can't. The entire architecture of the song relies on the physics of the open tuning and Keith's specific "five-string" setup. He famously removes the low E string. Why? Because it just gets in the way of the resonance of the G root.
The Open G Secret
Let’s get the technicals out of the way first. To play the Can't You Hear Me Knocking chords correctly, you need to tune your guitar to Open G: GDGBD. If you’re keeping all six strings, it’s DGDGBD, but Keef usually lets that bottom D go to avoid a muddy low end.
The main riff isn't really a series of complex chord shapes. It’s a rhythmic conversation between an open G major and a C major shape that you play with one or two fingers. Specifically, you're looking at a barre across the 5th fret. But it's the "hammer-on" movement that defines the Stones' sound. You aren't just strumming. You are hitting the strings and then immediately hammering your fingers into a partial Am7 or C shape while the other strings keep ringing.
It's messy. It’s loud. It’s perfect.
Why Standard Tuning Fails You
You’ll see a lot of tutorials online suggesting you play a G power chord followed by a C/G. It works for a campfire singalong, sure. But you miss the "drone" effect. In Open G, when you hit those middle strings, the harmonics vibrate in a way that standard tuning simply cannot replicate.
Keith Richards didn't invent this tuning—he learned it from Ry Cooder—but he weaponized it. In Can't You Hear Me Knocking, the chords act as percussion. Mick Taylor is handling the melodic lifting later in the track, but the first three minutes are all about Keith’s right-hand rhythm. If your right hand isn't swinging like a pendulum, the chords won't matter.
The Breakdown of the Main Riff
The song starts with that iconic, dry riff. You're basically toggling between:
- The open strings (G Major)
- A "sus" movement at the 5th fret (C Major)
- A slide up to the 12th fret for the turnarounds
The "magic" chord in this sequence is actually a version of a C chord played at the 5th fret, but you let the G string ring out. It creates this suspended, unresolved tension that makes you feel like the song is constantly leaning forward. Honestly, if you aren't feeling a bit of a "bounce" in your wrist, you're probably playing it too stiffly. Keith plays behind the beat. Most amateurs play right on it. Slow down. Let the notes breathe.
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Mick Taylor and the Jazz-Rock Pivot
Around the three-minute mark, the song undergoes a massive DNA shift. We move away from the gritty Can't You Hear Me Knocking chords and into a Latin-inspired jam session. This is where Mick Taylor takes over.
The chords change from the rhythmic Open G stabs to a smoother, jazzier progression. We’re talking Dm7 to G7. It’s a classic ii-V progression that allows Taylor to use the D minor pentatonic and Dorian scales to weave those legendary liquid lines.
Bobby Keys’ saxophone enters the frame here too. It’s worth noting that this entire second half of the song was essentially an accident. The Stones thought the tape had stopped rolling. They just kept jamming. Because the tape was actually rolling, we got one of the best improvised codas in rock history.
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The Gear Matters (A Little)
You don't need a 1953 Telecaster named "Micawber" to get this right, but you do need a bridge humbucker or a very beefy single coil. Keith used a Dan Armstrong plexiglass guitar for the recording of this specific track, which contributed to that incredibly biting, transparent high end.
If you're using a pedal, don't over-saturate the gain. People think the Stones are "heavy," but the distortion is actually quite light. It’s "cranked amp" distortion, not "metal pedal" distortion. Use a Tube Screamer or a light overdrive with the gain turned down and the volume turned up. This preserves the clarity of the Can't You Hear Me Knocking chords so they don't turn into a wall of mush.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Tuning to Open G but keeping the 6th string: Unless you have incredibly disciplined thumb muting, that low D (or E if you didn't tune it down) will ring out and ruin the G-major clarity. Just take the string off. It’s liberating.
- Over-complicating the fingering: Keith’s genius is his laziness. He found a way to play massive-sounding chords with one finger. If you're stretching your hand into a pretzel, you're doing it wrong.
- Ignoring the "cluck": There is a percussive "cluck" in the rhythm where he mutes the strings with his fretting hand. This is just as important as the notes themselves.
Putting it All Together
To truly master the Can't You Hear Me Knocking chords, you have to stop thinking like a guitar player and start thinking like a drummer. Your left hand sets the "tone," but your right hand provides the "groove."
Start by tuning to Open G. Hit the open strings hard. Then, barre your index finger across the 5th fret and use your middle and ring fingers to hammer on the 6th and 7th frets (on the B and D strings). That "tug-of-war" between the barred fret and the hammer-on is the entire song.
Once you transition into the "Santana-esque" jam at the end, switch your mindset. The grit disappears, replaced by the smooth, rolling Dm7 to G7 groove. It’s a tale of two songs.
Actionable Steps for Mastery
- Ditch the 6th string: Physically remove the low E string from your electric guitar to force yourself into the 5-string Open G mindset.
- Tune to GDGBD: Use a high-quality strobe tuner to ensure your harmonics are ringing true, as Open G can be finicky with intonation.
- Practice the "Hammer-on" Riff: Spend 10 minutes just working on the transition from the open G strings to the barred 5th fret with the hammer-on. Don't worry about the rest of the song until that feels like muscle memory.
- Listen to the 1971 Brussels Affair Version: For a masterclass in how these chords sound live, listen to the 1973 live recordings. Keith’s tone is even rawer there, making it easier to hear the individual chord voicings.
- Record Yourself: Play along to the studio track and record it. If your chords sound "thin" compared to the record, you likely need more mids in your EQ and a heavier pick attack.