Learn to play Mad World by Gary Jules on JustinGuitar!
View the full lesson at Mad World by Gary Jules | JustinGuitar
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Learning lots and havin’ fun do’n it. Not.quite sure how part two of the intro went as it goes by rather quickly.
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I’m finding lots of the songs are not played in the same key as they appear to have been written and require transposing. Or is it possible my SNARK tuner is a semi-tine lower than standard?
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I’m pretty sure the Gary Jules cover is in a different key than the Tears for Fears original (but don’t ask me what key it is 
)
Justin’s lesson and the app version of the song are in the Tears for Fears key, whatever that is. (Em, G, A, and D chords)
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OK great . No need to get a new Snark then. But maybe get a capo! Thanks for the help
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Justin says to play with capo if playing along with original, but he doesn’t use a capo as it suits his voice better. I’ve also seen a version using no capo with Am,C,G,D instead of Em,G,D,A. I’ve tried them all, and to my beginner’s ear they all sound like Mad World. I’m also early on in the music theory lessons so I don’t really understand why they all work. Why do they all work? Should I just pick the one I like the sound of? Nothing suits my voice, so that isn’t a consideration. Thanks.
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@wdperkins William, in simple terms the musical relationship between the chords in each version is the same hence both sound like the song.
If you contnue with the theory course into level 3 and begin to understand the major scale, the concept of a key, plus the chords associated with the notes in the scale in a particular key then you will be in a position to understand the reason why both versions sound like Mad World.
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the fingerstyle was abit too fast for me. anybody can break it down abit ?
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So, Justin gives you the pattern at one point: Thumb-1-2-1-3-2-1-2.
Those are the fingers used to pick out the pattern. The thumb hits the root note of the chord (so it changes according to the chord you’re on), then use use fingers 1 (index), 2 (middle) and 3 (ring) in the order given in the pattern. Those fingers always play the same strings: 1 plays 3rd string, 2 plays 2nd string, 3 plays the 1st string.
The pattern takes 1 bar of music:
T 1 2 1 3 2 1 2
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
This should be all you need. Take it slow!
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Hello @Catweazel1 and welcome to the community.
You can slow the video down on all lessons by clicking the cog wheel:
I hope that helps.
Cheers 
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide, Approved Teacher & Moderator
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By way of a short analogy …
Take the numbers 7, 8, 9, 10
Four consecutive numbers.
Take the numbers 21, 22, 23, 24
Four different numbers entirely.
But still four consecutive numbers.
The two sets of numbers have a commonality even though they are different.
So the chords Am, C, G, D compared and contrasted with Em, G, D, A have a commonality even though they are different.
I hope that helps.
Cheers
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide, Approved Teacher & Moderator
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Does anyone try playing around with the strumming pattern between the first verse and the prechorus (“and I find it kind of funny…”)?
I’ve been trying old faithful pattern for verse, but feel like the strumming should be different in the prechorus… I just don’t have an idea what yet.
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Yes, but more for the Tears fo Fears version.
I do OF for the verses, straight DUDUDU for the first chorus, and palm muted 8ths for the second chorus.
Makes for a nice build up of intensity.
EDIT: Just posted a recording I made a few months back…see if you like the approach.
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The fingerstyle pattern shown at the 6:10 mark is using the fingerstyle pattern number 4 from Grade 3 module 19. 4:4 Fingerstyle Patterns lesson. The pattern is tabbed in the resource pdf or the GuitarPro file.
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Nice tip @SteveL_G99
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I may have missed it but Justin doesn’t use a capo in this video, and, to be honest, can’t recall if he did in the previous video. He suggests the use of a capo in his Beginners Songbook.
Working on consolidation for grade 1. It was fun to find this song—I’ve always loved its melancholy tone, progression, and lyrics.
I have a copy of Gary Jules version of Mad World from “Trading Snakeoil for Wolfskins” so I’m able to play with along.
When I play solo, it sounds OK
When I play with Gary, it sounds terrible to my ears (one earbud, one open ear).
Messing about with the capo, at 1 it sounds best to my ears when I’m playing the Em, A,D,G chords of the JustinApp.
Question:
Am I correct that my playing Mad World in Em (per the JustinApp chords), but with a capo at 1, is how to play along with the recording and not be in pain?
My voice is about in Justin’s range, so I’d like to be able to sing along too.
Thanks
— Bruce
According to Ultimate Guitar you are indeed correct.
@munceli
These things always cause me confusion and I am sure it does to others. I don’t have the app so I am looking on the Lesson and Justin’s Tabs.(the lesson has just been updated in the last few days)
The chords are Em G A D and to me make in the Key of D however if you look at the sheet music in the Tabs then it has one # so that would mean Key of G. That being the case then A would be a borrowed chord. To add more confusion Justin says the original uses a capo at the first which using the same chords would make the key in my view D# or Eb. One of the sources I find most reliable for this sort of thing is SongBPM and this gives the key as D# or Eb.
That’s how I see things, hope it helps
Michael
@LadyOfTheCastle @MAT1953 Thanks.
As someone with quite close to a level of zero in music theory, to me it’s like declining nouns in a language I don’t know, but have heard before: I cannot say why anything is as it is, just that something sounds off to me
'Guess it’s (past) time to tuck in to Justin’s music theory class. . . .
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