Mad World Chords

Learn how to play Mad World!

Mad World is a single from Tears For Fears 1983 album The Hurting.

It was re recorded and re released by Gary Jules as a single from the album Donnie Darko (Original Soundtrack).

This version was Christmas #1 in the UK in 2003 making Mad World a hit twice with two decades in between.

Spy Tunes one guitar arrangement version is based on Gary Jules piano version of Mad World.

The verse moves between chord II and V, this results in a minor landscape called Dorian.

Using a minor focus like Dorian instead of the traditional Aeolian gives us a different feel of minor than we might be used to.

Compare this to Angie by The Rolling Stones and One More Cup Of Coffee by Bob Dylan, which both focus on Aeolian’s VI chord.

Mad World, a ballad in Dorian

Do you know what interval differs between Aeolian and Dorian?

When you work out how the melody behaves over these type of changes (using the DIY TAB) you will see how the melody hit certain keynotes.

If you use the same keynotes when you improvise you will create some very melodic solos. If you use them when writing songs, you might write a hit!

To see this on the guitar you need to start by playing the vocal melody. Visualize the connection with the chords by always seeing a scale shape as a chord shape.

Can you see how the vocal melody follow the chords?