A Note Block being triggered and playing a note.
Crafting
Note Blocks can be crafted by placing 8 planks in a square with redstone at the center.
Music
Note blocks 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 a block of air above it to play a sound.
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). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exriq7QEckA
Right clicking increases the note pitch up a half step, with a total of two full octaves being available to play. The range of notes span from F#2 to F#4. After reaching the highest note, right clicking again resets it back to F#2, as does breaking the block and picking it back up.
The instrument played depends on the block underneath the note block:
| Block type | Instrument |
|---|---|
| Glass/Glowstone | Sticks |
| Stone/Cobblestone/Obsidian/Netherrack/Bricks | Ordinary drum |
| Wood Blocks/Note Block | Marimba |
| Sand/Gravel/Soulsand | Snare drum |
| All other blocks. | Piano |
Other Information
Note Blocks can only play when there is at least a block of air above them.
History
Note Blocks were released on 13 January 2011 for the Beta release 1.2.