Piano chords · Film & wonder
Mad World: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Jennifer Ann
- A minor
- 4/4
- 85 BPM
- 1982
- Tricky
The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Mad World without reading music. The left hand plays rainbow sweep (wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15), and the right hand sings the tune.
The main tune of Mad World in letter notes
The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.
Mad World accompaniment in letter notes
The Am – C – G – D loop with rainbow sweep in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
How to read the bar sheet
The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.
Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.
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Questions about Mad World
What are the letter notes for the Mad World piano accompaniment?
Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is Am – C – G – D, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Mad World?
The loop is Am – C – G – D (i – III – VII – IV) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Mad World in?
A minor, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Mad World?
Rainbow sweep: wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Mad World easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Mad World?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.