How to Make a Note Block in Minecraft and Change Its Sound
Eight planks around 1 redstone dust make a note block. How to make a note block in Minecraft, tune it, set its instrument and use it with allays.
A note block is 8 planks around 1 redstone dust: fill every slot of a crafting table with planks except the center, and put the redstone there. Any planks work, and mixed types are fine. You get one note block.
Playing and tuning
Hit the note block (left-click) to hear its current note. Use it (right-click) to raise the pitch by one semitone. There are 25 notes, two full octaves from F#3 to F#5; after the top note it wraps back to the bottom. A redstone pulse also plays it, which is how you turn a row of note blocks into a song.
The block above must be air (or a mob head, see below). A solid block on top silences it.
The block underneath picks the instrument
| Block below | Instrument |
|---|---|
| Wood, planks, logs | Bass (double bass) |
| Stone, ores, netherrack, bricks | Bass drum |
| Sand, gravel, concrete powder | Snare drum |
| Glass, sea lantern, beacon | Clicks and sticks |
| Wool | Guitar |
| Clay | Flute |
| Block of gold | Bell |
| Packed ice | Chime |
| Bone block | Xylophone |
| Block of iron | Iron xylophone |
| Soul sand | Cow bell |
| Pumpkin | Didgeridoo |
| Block of emerald | Bit |
| Hay bale | Banjo |
| Glowstone | Pling (electric piano) |
| Block of copper, cut or chiseled copper (26.1+) | Trumpet; turns into a trombone and distorted versions as the copper oxidizes |
| Anything else | Harp (piano) |
So the same note block sounds completely different depending on what you set it on. Build a “band” by putting a row of blocks on different floors.
Mob heads on top
Put a mob head on top of a note block and it plays that mob’s sound instead: a zombie groan, a creeper hiss, a skeleton rattle, a piglin snort or a dragon roar. Pitch doesn’t change for heads. It’s mostly a joke, but it makes great doorbells.
Note blocks and allays
An allay holding an item will also deliver to a note block that has just played nearby. For about 30 seconds after it plays, the allay drops its collected items next to the block instead of bringing them to you. Wire the note block to a slow redstone clock and put a hopper and chest where the items land, and the allay becomes an automatic item collector.
Making music
Songs need timing, and timing means redstone delays. A redstone repeater set to 1-4 ticks between note blocks controls the rhythm, and splitting the line lets two notes play together. If you’ve never built a circuit, redstone basics covers the parts you’ll use. You’ll want a stack of redstone for any real song; our guide to finding redstone shows where to mine it.
Common questions
How do you change a note block's pitch?
Use it (right-click on PC). Each use raises the pitch by one semitone across 25 notes, two octaves, then wraps back to the lowest note.
How do you change the instrument?
Change the block under the note block. Wood gives a bass, stone a bass drum, sand a snare, gold a bell, and since 26.1 copper a trumpet.
Why won't my note block play?
It needs an air block directly above it. Anything solid on top silences it, with the exception of mob heads, which make it play that mob's sound.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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