Note Block

"Note blocks were added to Minecraft alongside charcoal, lapis lazuli, dispensers, cake and squid in version Beta 1.2, which was released on 13 January 2011. That makes them seven years old, probably older than some of our youngest players. “Right click to tune, trigger to play” were the instructions given in the release notes at the time, which still hold true today. When you hit one or give it a redstone pulse, a little note will pop out of the top and anyone within 48 blocks will hear a sound - with the volume decreasing as you get further away."

- Duncan Geere

A note block is a musical block that emits sounds when powered with redstone.

Obtaining
Note blocks are most quickly broken with an axe.

Instruments
The instrument played depends on the material of the block underneath the note block. Note that these are groups of blocks defined by the code, not just the individual block.

Powering note blocks


Note blocks can be powered in a variety of different ways following normal redstone principles, however some ways of powering note blocks are more convenient than others or produce unexpected results.
 * When a note block is powered by a button on its side, it does play a note, but is often very difficult to hear since the sound of the button activating is so loud.
 * Since note blocks need a space above them, note blocks powered by pressure plates or redstone directly above them do not make a sound.

Making songs with note blocks
One of the main uses of note blocks is to make songs. This can be achieved by using repeaters for timing, and note blocks for different pitches.

Fuel
Note blocks can be used as a fuel in furnaces, smelting 1.5 items per block.

Trivia

 * Note blocks start at the pitch F♯, which is interesting since there are very few musical instruments tuned to F♯.
 * There is an unused sound called "pling" which is similar to "harp" but sounds more powerful.
 * Because a note block is a type wooden block, when a note block directly on top of another note block is powered, it will sound a string bass.