Instrument
The 25 notes
Note 0 is F#. A note block starts at 0 and steps up one each time you hit it, wrapping back round after 24. The two octaves run F sharp to F sharp.
Put one of these under the note block for harp
Harp is the default: any block that is not listed under another instrument gives it, including air underneath.
What decides a note block's sound
Two things: the block underneath it picks the instrument, and the number of times you hit it picks the note. Nothing else. A note block on wood is a bass, on wool it is a guitar, on sand it is a snare, on glass it is a hat, and on almost anything else it is a harp.
The 25 notes are two octaves running F sharp to F sharp, and a note block steps up one each time you punch it before wrapping back to the start. Every sound on this page is the game's own audio file, pitched the same way the game pitches it, so what you hear is what you will build.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change a note block's instrument?
Change the block directly underneath it. Wood gives bass, wool gives guitar, sand gives snare, glass gives hat, stone gives bass drum, gold gives bell, and copper gives trumpet. The full list for each instrument is on this page. The note block updates the moment the block below changes, so you can retune a whole build without breaking anything.
How many notes does a note block have?
Twenty five, spanning two octaves from F sharp to F sharp. Hitting the block moves it up one note and it wraps around from the last back to the first, so tuning by hand means counting punches. A redstone comparator can read the note out if you want to check it.
Why does my note block make no sound?
It needs air directly above it. A note block with any block on top of it stays silent no matter what is underneath, which catches people out when they tidy a build.
Are these the real Minecraft sounds?
Yes. Every clip is the game's own audio file, served from this site, and the pitch shift is the same formula the game uses, two to the power of the note minus twelve over twelve. The instrument list and the blocks that select each one come from the game's block definitions.
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