Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Gary Jules - Mad World - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Fm, Bb, Ab, Eb Easy key G (capo 1)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Fm Bb Fm Bb
Fm Ab
All around me are familiar faces
Eb Bb
Worn out places, worn out faces
Fm Ab
Bright and early for their daily races
Eb Bb
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Fm Ab
Their tears are filling up their glasses
Eb Bb
No expression, no expression
Fm Ab
Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow
Eb Bb
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
Fm Bb Fm
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad
Bb Fm
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
Bb Fm
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take
Bb
When people run in circles, it's a very, very
Fm Bb
Mad world
Fm Bb
Mad world
Fm Ab
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Eb Bb
Happy birthday, happy birthday
Fm Ab
Made to feel the way that every child should
Eb Bb
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Fm Ab
Went to school, and I was very nervous
Eb Bb
No one knew me, no one knew me
Fm Ab
Hello, teacher, tell me what's my lesson
Eb Bb
Look right through me, look right through me
Fm Bb Fm
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad
Bb Fm
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
Bb Fm
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take
Bb
When people run in circles, it's a very, very
Fm Bb
Mad world
Fm Bb
Mad world
Fm Bb
Enlarging your world
Fm Bb
Mad world
End of song Play again?
Gary Jules - Mad World Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Gary Jules – Mad World: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Fm and ends on Bb. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because it opens on Fm and Fm is heard 24 times against 8 for Ab. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | 8× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V/V | Bb | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant | Bb · D · F | 24× |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | 8× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 24× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 24× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | 8× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| IV | Bb | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Bb · D · F | 24× |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | — |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | 8× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 4 different chords appear 64 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bb acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 4 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Fm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Fm, Bb, Ab, Eb; read them as vi–V/V–I–V in Ab or i–IV–III–VII in Fm. Bb adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to Eb. It closes on Bb, letting the Ab side have the last word.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Gary Jules - Mad World Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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