The ULTIMATE White Room Chords And Guitar Lesson (Cream)

How many classic rock songs can you think of that use odd time signatures?

If you’ve learned a lot of popular songs, you’ll know that not very many venture away from the common 4/4 time signature. However, here’s a cryptic tune that does just that.

It’s become one of Cream’s most iconic songs, and the guitar part is a blend of blues, rock, and psychedelic sounds.

In this post, I’m going to break down the mystery behind Eric Clapton’s guitar style to it. 

So grab your axe and let’s dive into this “White Room" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote White Room?

"White Room" was originally written by bassist Jack Bruce and a poet named Pete Brown. Brown wanted to create surreal imagery rather than straightforward storytelling. Many have often described this tune as cryptic – the lyrics are very open to interpretation. 

But the song became a hit for the British rock band Cream – featuring Jack Bruce on bass, Eric Clapton on guitar, and Ginger Baker on drums. Bruce was the primary songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker also contributed to songs.

“White Room” was recorded at London’s IBC Studios and Atlantic Studios in New York, and released on Cream’s 1968 double album, Wheels of Fire. 

Produced by Felix Pappalardi, the song features some unique time signature changes. Including 5/4 and 4/4 time. A time signature change is essentially when the beat structure of a song shifts from one pattern to another. This adds variety and can make the rhythm more interesting.

Another unique feature of this song is the way Clapton used a wah-wah pedal. This added to the psychedelic sound Cream became known for during this time.

"White Room" was a commercial success, reaching No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and solidifying Cream’s place in rock history. Over the years, it has been celebrated in multiple rankings of greatest rock songs, from publications like Rolling Stone and VH1. 

Cream performed "White Room" extensively live and it became a platform for extended solos and improvisations. They would stretch this song similar to the way many other bands like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix did during this time.

In pop culture, "White Room" has appeared in movies like Joker (2019) and The Fan (1996), further etching its place in rock history: 

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for White Room?

The tuning for "White Room", as recorded by Cream is standard tuning. Clapton kept things simple.

Standard tuning for a guitar is spelled out as EADGBE.  

Here are the strings: 

• E (6th string, lowest pitch)
• A (5th string)
• D (4th string)
• G (3rd string)
• B (2nd string)
• E (1st string, highest pitch) 

Next, let’s talk about the…

White Room Chords

To play "White Room" on guitar you only need to know 10 main chords Gm, F, Dm, C, Am, D5, Csus2, G/B, Bb, and G5. These are played as a mix of open chords and bar chords. Let’s take a look at a few options for how they might appear on the fretboard. 

Gm is a bar chord played in the 3rd position using all 6 strings like this:

F is played in 1st position like this:

Dm is played in 5th position and from the 5th string down like this:

C is played on the middle strings like this:

Am is played just like Gm however, it’s shifted up 2 frets like this:

Then we move into our first open chord. This is a power chord called D5 and only uses 3 strings:

Csus2 is used as a walk-down from D5 and is played like this:

G/B is our first inversion or slash chord. A slash chord is a chord that has a note different than the root note in the bass like this:

Bb is played just like C but shifted down 2 frets like this:

Finally, we have a G5 played in open position like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard and want to learn it faster and in the simplest way. Then get your hands on my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:  

All right, now that you know the "Norwegian Wood" chords, let’s now talk about…

What key is White Room in?

"White Room" as recorded by Cream is in the key of D minor. All of the chords fit the diatonic scale of D natural minor except for the G/B chord.

However, the G/B creates a descending bass line used in the main A section (or verse section). This is also a common chord used in many minor songs. They often have a major IV chord.

Here’s a breakdown of how these chords function in D minor:

Gm (G Minor)

Function: IV chord in D minor

Notes: G - Bb - D

Role: Often used to add a sense of depth and contrasts with the tonic D minor.

F (F Major)

Function: III chord in D minor

Notes: F - A - C

Role: This is the relative major. It adds a slightly more stable, and happy sound. 

Dm (D Minor)

Function: Tonic (i chord)

Notes: D - F - A

Role: This is the home chord in D minor, establishing the key and acting as a place of rest and resolution.

C (C Major)

Function: VII chord in D minor

Notes: C - E - G

Role: Gives a modal feel, often used in minor keys to lead back to D minor or resolve to the tonic in a less intense way than a typical V chord. It’s a very common chord in classic rock chord progressions.

Am (A Minor)

Function: v chord in D minor (relative minor)

Notes: A - C - E

Role: Adds a soft tension, leading to D minor without the strong pull of A major (which would typically appear in harmonic minor). It’s more subdued and natural-sounding within the D natural minor context.

D5 (D Power Chord)

Function: Tonic (root power chord)

Notes: D - A

Role: Root power chord for D minor, offering a simplified, open sound that works well in rock or blues contexts. The D5 keeps the feel ambiguous and often adds drive and intensity without specifying major or minor.

Csus2 (C Suspended 2)

Function: VII suspended chord

Notes: C - D - G

Role: Adds a modern or floating quality to the VII chord. This is again a part of the descending progression heard in the verse. 

G/B (G Major with B in the bass)

Function: IV chord in first inversion

Notes: B - D - G

Role: Inverted G chord with B in the bass. This inversion provides a smoother, bass-line movement, typically as a transition between other chords like Bb and D minor.

Bb (B-flat Major)

Function: VI chord in D minor

Notes: Bb - D - F

Role: Adds a sense of strength to the D minor key. The Bb major chord creates a strong pull back to the i chord – D minor.

That’s the theory, but remember knowing all this doesn’t mean a thing without a good… 

White Room Strumming Pattern And Groove

The main underlying groove for "White Room'" is a driving 8th-note rock feel. Strumming 8th notes means dividing each beat of a 4/4 time signature into two equal parts.

To properly strum 8th notes, you need to understand how to count them within each measure. In a 4/4 time signature, each measure has four beats. When subdividing each beat into 8th notes, each beat is divided into two equal parts, giving us a total of eight 8th notes per measure.

To count 8th notes, you typically use the following syllables:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 

Here’s the breakdown: 

1: The first 8th note (on the beat)

&: The second 8th note (off the beat)

When counting out loud, it sounds like:

"One and, Two and, Three and, Four and" 

While this is the “feel” for the song, you might not want to strum all the 8th notes all the time. Instead, you could try mixing quarter notes, 8th notes and even a few 16th notes for good measure like this: 

White Room Scales And Soloing Tips

Conclusion

To wrap it up, “White Room” is a stand-out tune from Cream. Not only does it mark a specific time period of Clapton’s epic guitar history. But it also represents a unique period during the 60s when blues, rock, and psychedelic all got blended together in a way never done before.

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free blues scale PDF guide right here now:  

Jon MacLennan