{"id":12457,"date":"2023-03-10T12:05:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T20:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=12457"},"modified":"2023-05-02T10:30:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:30:44","slug":"mad-world-piano-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/mad-world-piano-tutorial\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Play &#8220;Mad World&#8221; (Gary Jules, Tears for Fears)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>&#8220;Mad World&#8221; is a must-play moody piano hit!  And while the right-hand fingering can be tricky at times, this is a relatively simple song with a straightforward left-hand pattern. Get a head start with learning &#8220;Mad World&#8221; with our step-by-step piano tutorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But first, a little history behind the song&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#mad-world-was-originally-by-tears-for-fears\">Tears for Fears Original<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#playing-tips-for-mad-world\">Playing Tips<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Never Miss a Song Tutorial<\/b><\/h2><p>Love our video tutorial? Your favorite song might be next! Subscribe to our newsletter for piano news, exclusive interviews, new tutorials, interesting articles, and more delivered to your inbox every week. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mad-world-was-originally-by-tears-for-fears\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>&#8220;Mad World&#8221; was originally by Tears for Fears<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You might be most familiar with the Michael Andrews and Gary Jules version of &#8220;Mad World.&#8221; The song, featured in the movie <em>Donnie Darko<\/em>, was a big hit from the 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&#8220;Mad World&#8221; from <em>Donnie Darko<\/em><\/strong><br>Michael Andrews and Gary Jules<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/4N3N1MlvVc4\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But did you know &#8220;Mad World&#8221; actually has its roots in 80s synth music? The song was originally written by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2013\/dec\/10\/how-we-made-mad-world-tears-fears\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Roland Orzabal<\/a> and sung by Curt Smith of the band Tears for Fears and released in 1982. Orzabal wrote the song on acoustic guitar when he was 19 and was inspired by the synth sounds of Duran Duran. He wanted to make something similar, so the original version of &#8220;Mad World&#8221; sounds very different from the Donnie Darko version. Take a listen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Original &#8220;Mad World&#8221;<\/strong><br>Tears for Fears<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tears For Fears - Mad World (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u1ZvPSpLxCg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But while Tears for Fears&#8217; &#8220;Mad World&#8221; was successful, the <em>Donnie Darko<\/em> cover got <em>very<\/em> famous. In fact, it became the U.K. Christmas No. 1 in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, the song has had lots of covers and appearances. It\u2019s been featured in the video game franchise <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/wy8LRlS1SCc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Gears of War<\/em><\/a>, covered soulfully by <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/2rlCouMD9lE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Demi Lovato<\/a>, and Curt Smith even <a href=\"https:\/\/nerdist.com\/article\/tears-for-fears-curt-smith-mad-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">covered<\/a> the song with his daughter while in quarantine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&#8220;Mad World&#8221; on <em>American Idol<\/em><\/strong><br>By Adam Lambert<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Adam Lambert - Mad World (American Idol Performance)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dJOWgqp4ZfA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&#8220;Mad World&#8221; Cover<\/strong><br>By Demi Lovato<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Demi Lovato - Mad World (Official Audio Visualizer)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2rlCouMD9lE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&#8220;Mad World&#8221; Cover<\/strong><br>By Curt Smith and his daughter, Diva<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mad World performed by Curt Smith of Tears For Fears\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NEpfvTdR5-U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&#8220;Mad World&#8221;<\/strong><br>As seen in <em>Gears of War<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gears of War Xbox 360 Trailer - Mad World Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wy8LRlS1SCc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"playing-tips-for-mad-world\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Playing Tips for \u201cMad World\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMad World\u201d is written in F minor. The relative major key of F minor is A-flat major, so the song has three flats (B\u266d, E\u266d, A\u266d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pianote+ Members can download the full sheet music in our Members Area. If you\u2019re not a Member yet, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">try Pianote for free<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otherwise, here are some quick playing tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn the left hand first. <\/strong>The left-hand accompaniment is a simple pattern based on triads. Getting comfy with this part first can help ground the rhythm and make counting the right-hand part easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Listen to the song!<\/strong> Knowing the melody well makes a big difference! If the ties and counting in the right hand confuse you, listen to the song and play what you hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use whichever fingering feels best for you. <\/strong>The right-hand melody fingering can be a little all-over-the-place, so find a fingering that works <em>for you. <\/em>I use 2-4-1-3-1-3-2-1 at the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Be aware of space.<\/strong> The hands get quite close together at times during this song, so be prepared to move aside for the other hand to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you enjoyed this &#8220;Mad World&#8221; piano tutorial. Happy practicing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:22px;\">\ud83c\udfbc <b>Learn Your Favorites, Step By Step With Full Sheet Music Downloads<\/b><\/h3><p> As a Pianote+ Member, you\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists who have played with rock stars.<\/p><center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to play &#8220;Mad World&#8221; (Gary Jules\/Michael Andrews, Tears for Fears) with this step-by-step tutorial from Lisa Witt at Pianote!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1107,1105,508],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film-scores","category-pop-rock","category-song-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12457"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13467,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12457\/revisions\/13467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}