The Note Block is a block that can produce single music notes when hit or powered by redstone. The type of sound produced is dependent on the block immediately below the note block itself. Right clicking it changes the pitch by one semitone, yet activating it with redstone won't change the pitch. Note blocks can be smelted, smelting 1.5 items per note block (but wasting 7 planks and one redstone).
Crafting
| Note Block | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wood Planks | Wood Planks | Wood Planks |
| Wood Planks | Redstone | Wood Planks |
| Wood Planks | Wood Planks | Wood Planks |
Music
A note block will play a note when hit or when powered by redstone. Redstone current only causes the note to play once, even if it is a continuous current. A note block must have at least one block of air above it to play a sound. Notes can be heard up to 48 blocks away. Each time a note block plays a note, a note particle will fly out of the top, with the color depending on the pitch (but not the instrument). It is possible to make an automatic note block sequence and it's relatively cheap to do in survival. Get a minecart, powered rail, and detector rail; one can place the rail and power it. Then put the detector rail down and put redstone leading to a note block. Then simply repeat the process until one has all the note blocks one wants. Then walk into the minecart (the player doesn't have to ride it). Then let the minecart do the rest; now the player has an automatic note block song.
Wiring
In order to wire note blocks to play a note, power must be applied to the side of the note block using redstone dust and a switch or redstone torch, or to the bottom using a redstone torch directly. Simply placing a switch or pressure plate on an adjacent block or providing power to the block beneath the note block will not work.
Chords with Note Blocks
If one wants to get a richer tone in the song/sound they're creating they can bind different notes together into a chord, just like in most instruments. This will not only get a better sound to the song, it will also be simpler to place the redstone.
Instruments
You can discover the different sounds played by the Note Block by placing certain blocks underneath it.
Harp: Played by placing Dirt, Grass or any other block (also nothing) below the Note Block.
Bass: Played by placing wooden-related Blocks below it (including itself).
Snare: Played by placing sand-related blocks underneath (except Clay Block).
Click: Played by placing Glass below it.
Bass Drum: Played by placing Hard blocks below it.
Bell: Played by placing a Gold Block below it.
Flute: Played by placing a Clay Block below it.
Chime: Played by placing Packed Ice below it.
Guitar: Played by placing Wool below it.
Xylophone: Played by placing a Bone Block below it.
Iron Xylophone: Played by placing a Iron Block below it.
Cow Bell: Played by placing Soul Sand below it.
Didgeridoo: Played by placing a Normal Pumpkin (not the Carved version) below it.
8-Bit: Played by placing a Emerald Block Below it.
Banjo: Played by placing a Hay Bale below it.
"Pling": Played by placing a Glowstone Block below it.
Piano: Played by placing any type of infested stone below it.
Gallery
Images
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Trivia
- Note blocks can only play when there is at least one block of air above them, so one cannot place blocks like torches and signs directly above note blocks (including water); however, they can still be tuned.
- In the coding, note blocks are referenced as "music blocks."
- A doorbell can be made and it is even possible to replicate a music track using note blocks.
- The Note Block uses the exact same texture as the jukebox, but on all sides, instead of having a different texture on the top.
- Until 1.14, From the Bell to The "Pling" were added.
- Note Blocks' musical range goes from Bb5 to Bb7, the latter two octaves above the former.
