Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Hells Bells on piano
Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young & others
- A minor
- 4/4
- 108 BPM
- 1980
- Medium
Learn Hells Bells in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – Asus4 – Am – Asus4
Hells Bells sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; Asus4 is A, D and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiAsus4Isus4AmiAsus4Isus4- AmA · C · E
- Asus4A · D · E
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Running-late chords
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 108 BPM
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: A – G – A
The last chords are I – bVII – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AGA- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
Play next
Questions about Hells Bells
What chords are in Hells Bells?
The loop is Am – Asus4 – Am – Asus4 (i – Isus – i – Isus) in A minor, and the song ends on A – G – A.
What key is Hells Bells in?
A minor, at about 108 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hells Bells?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hells Bells 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.