Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Hell Is For Children on piano
Written by Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo & others
- Eb major
- 2/2
- 120 BPM
- I–vi–I–vi loop
- 1980
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Hell Is For Children in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Cm – Eb – Cm
How it goes
Hell Is For Children sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbICmviEbICmvi- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
How it goes
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Hell Is For Children
What chords are in Hell Is For Children?
The loop is Eb – Cm – Eb – Cm (I – vi – I – vi) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Hell Is For Children in?
Eb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Hell Is For Children?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hell Is For Children easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.