| Renewable | Yes |
|---|---|
| Stackable | Yes (64) |
| Tool | |
| Blast resistance | 0.8 |
| Hardness | 0.8 |
| Luminous | No |
| Transparent | No |
| Flammable | No |
| Catches fire from lava |
Yes |
| Map color | 13 WOOD |
| Note block instrument | Bass |
A note block is a block that emits sounds when attacked, used, or powered. The sound produced can be altered in various ways by using it or putting certain blocks directly above or below it. Allays are affected by note blocks, staying nearby and dropping held items next to it for a short while upon hearing its sound.
Obtaining
Breaking
Note blocks are most quickly broken with an axe.
| Block | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 0.8 | |
| Tool | ||
| Breaking time (sec)[A] | ||
| Default | 1.2 (JE) 1.2 (BE) | |
| 0.6 (JE) 0.6 (BE) | ||
| 0.3 (JE) 0.3 (BE) | ||
| 0.25 (JE) 0.25 (BE) | ||
| 0.2 (JE) 0.2 (BE) | ||
| 0.15 (JE) 0.15 (BE) | ||
| 0.15 (JE) 0.15 (BE) | ||
| 0.1 (JE) 0.1 (BE) | ||
- incorrect tool, drops nothing
- correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
- correct tool, drops the block itself
- italicized can be instant mined
- ↑ These durations ignore any other influential factors (e.g., Mining Fatigue) and are measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Mining efficiency.
Natural generation
Two note blocks generate in the ice_box_1 structure in ancient cities.
Crafting
| Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
|---|---|
| Any Planks + Redstone Dust |
Usage
Playing music
Notes

A note block produces a sound and spawns a colored eighth note particle whenever any of the following conditions are met:
- It is attacked by a player in Survival mode
- It receives a redstone signal
- It is used by a player.
A note block must have either air or a mob head in the space directly above it to play a sound, though using a silenced note block will still change its pitch. Note block sounds can be heard from up to 48 blocks away, and can be independently controlled by the Jukebox/Note Blocks slider in the audio settings.
Each time a note block plays a sound, an eighth note particle will appear from the top. The color of the particle depends on the pitch of the note block. Note particles do not appear for silenced note blocks or mob head instruments.
Excluding mob heads, there are 16 different instruments and 25 different pitches per instrument (a total of 400 notes with different sounds). Using a note block increases the instrument's pitch up a semitone, with a total of two full octaves (24 semitones in total) being available for each instrument. The standard range (for harp and pling instruments) of notes spans from F♯3 to F♯5. After reaching the highest note (24 presses of the use button), pressing use again (25th press of the use button) resets the pitch back to F♯3, as does breaking the block. The note block's pitch is ignored for player heads and the six mob heads.
The string bass and didgeridoo are two octaves (24 semitones) lower than the standard range, the guitar is one octave (12 semitones) lower than the standard range, the flute is one octave above the standard range, and the bell, chime, and xylophone are 2 octaves above the standard range. This gives six octaves (72 semitones) of effective range to combine instruments for greater pitch coverage.
The exact pitch can be found from its use-count by using the following formula: 2 ^ ((use count - 12) / 12).
The exact pitch to use-count assignment is shown below,[1][2] along with the note's color, which is rendered with shading using the particle's texture.
|
|
Alternatively, there is a graphical version available:
The current pitch of a note block can be roughly estimated by attacking it and looking at the color of the note particle.
In Java Edition, the tuning can also be checked by looking at the debug screen (accessed by pressing F3). It is denoted as "note:" followed by a number from 0 to 24.
Instruments
The instrument played depends on the block placed directly underneath the note block. In Bedrock Edition this can be configured by the block component minecraft:instrument_sound.
Mob heads must be placed on top of the note block. Mob head instruments take priority over block instruments, and play the corresponding mob's ambient sound, except for creeper heads, which instead trigger the primed sound. Mob head sounds are not affected by the note block's pitch.
| Mob heads | Instrument |
|---|---|
| Skeleton rattle | |
| Wither skeleton rattle | |
| Sound effect set in [String] note_block_sound, silent by default. | |
| Zombie moan | |
| Creeper hiss | |
| Piglin snort | |
| Ender dragon roar |
Sound propagation radius

The sound of note blocks reaches different radii depending on the target:
- Players can hear a note block being activated up to a radius of 48 blocks.
- Wardens and allays can hear a note block being activated up to a radius of 16 blocks.
- Sculk sensors can detect a note block being activated up to a radius of 8 blocks.
Redstone
Activating note blocks

Note blocks can be activated in a variety of different ways, following normal redstone principles. Note blocks conduct redstone power, which means they activate blocks next to them when directly powered, including other note blocks.
In Java Edition, after activating a note block or changing its pitch (via use), the change is treated as a block state change. This immediately plays the sound and generates a block update detectable by both observers and block update detectors (BUDs). An observer facing a note block will trigger whenever the note block is used, powered by redstone, or its instrument/pitch changes. Because note blocks conduct power, they can be integrated into complex observer-based circuits as conditional triggers or signal routers.
In Bedrock Edition, due to a known bug,[4] activating a note block or changing its pitch (via use) does not trigger a block update, meaning neither observers nor BUDs can detect the change. This occurs because pitch and instrument data are stored as block entity data, which updates independently of the main world loop. In circuits requiring a redstone-triggered or manually activated block updates (e.g., flying machines), bells are often used as substitutes in most situations.
Sculk detection
Note blocks emit vibrations detectable by sculk sensors. A calibrated sculk sensor tuned to signal strength 10 detects a note playing.
In Bedrock Edition, sculk sensors provide the only reliable method of detecting both note block activations and pitch changes for redstone, since observers and BUDs cannot register these events.
Allay interactions
If an allay hears a note block play within 16 blocks of its location, it pathfinds to it. It then spends 30 seconds near that note block, seeking items and dropping them near the note block instead of its player. After 30 seconds, the allay returns to targeting its player unless the note block is played again. A vibration particle emanates from the note block and reaches the allay to indicate the allay has locked onto it. Placing wool between the note block and the allay prevents this interaction. Allays ignore note blocks which do not make sounds, with the exception of note blocks with player heads on top.
Fuel
Note blocks can be used as fuel in furnaces, smelting 1.5 items per block.
Sounds
wood sound type | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Closed captions | Source | Description | Identifier | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
| Block broken | Blocks | Once the block has broken | block | subtitles | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
| Block placed[until: JE 26.4] | Blocks | When the block is placed | block | subtitles | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
| Block breaking | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | block | subtitles | 0.25 | 0.5 | 16 | |
| Something falls on a block | Entity-Dependent | Falling on the block with fall damage | block | subtitles | 0.5 | 0.75 | 16 | |
| Footsteps | Entity-Dependent | Walking on the block | block | subtitles | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 | |
wood sound type | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Closed captions | Source | Description | Identifier | Translation key | Volume | Pitch |
| Block broken | Blocks | Once the block has broken | dig | subtitles | 1.0 | 0.8–1.0 | |
| Block placed | Blocks | When the block is placed | place | subtitles | 1.0 | 0.8 | |
| Axe strips | Blocks | When an axe strips a log or wood block [sound 1] | use | subtitles | 1.0 | 0.8 | |
| Block breaking | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | hit | subtitles | 0.23 | 0.5 | |
| Footsteps | Players | Falling on the block with fall damage | fall | subtitles | 0.4 | 1.0 | |
| Footsteps | Players | Walking on the block | step | subtitles | 0.3 | 1.0 | |
| Footsteps | Blocks | Jumping from the block | jump | subtitles | 0.12 | 1.0 | |
| Footsteps | Blocks | Falling on the block without fall damage | land | subtitles | 0.18 | 1.0 | |
Data values
ID
| Name | Identifier | Form | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|
note_block | Block & Item | block |
| Name | Identifier | Numeric ID | Form | Item ID[i 1] | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
noteblock | 25 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile |
| Name | Savegame ID |
|---|---|
Music |
Block states
| Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| instrument | harp | banjobasedrumbassbellbitchimecow_bellcreepercustom_headdidgeridoodragonfluteguitarharphatiron_xylophonepiglinplingskeletonsnaretrumpettrumpet_exposedtrumpet_oxidizedtrumpet_weatheredwither_skeletonxylophonezombie | The instrument of the note block. |
| note | 0 | 0123456789101112131415161718192021222324 | The pitch of the note block |
| powered | false | falsetrue | True if the note block is currently activated. |
Block data
In Bedrock Edition, a note block has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.
See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format#Note Block.
Sound events
This table maps each note block sound to its internal sound event name in both editions for use with commands (such as /playsound) and resource pack creators. For Java Edition, the instrument block state value is also provided. in Bedrock Edition this can be configured by the block component minecraft:instrument_sound.
| Instrument / Sound | Java instrument value
|
Java Edition sound event | Bedrock Edition sound event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block instruments | |||
| No sound | None | None | note.none
|
| Bass Guitar | bass |
block.note_block.bass |
note.bassattack
|
| Snare Drum | snare |
block.note_block.snare |
note.snare
|
| Hi-hat Click | hat |
block.note_block.hat |
note.hat
|
| Bass Drum | basedrum |
block.note_block.basedrum |
note.bd
|
| Bell (Glockenspiel) | bell |
block.note_block.bell |
note.bell
|
| Flute | flute |
block.note_block.flute |
note.flute
|
| Chime | chime |
block.note_block.chime |
note.chime
|
| Guitar | guitar |
block.note_block.guitar |
note.guitar
|
| Xylophone | xylophone |
block.note_block.xylophone |
note.xylophone
|
| Iron Xylophone (Vibraphone) | iron_xylophone |
block.note_block.iron_xylophone |
note.iron_xylophone
|
| Cow Bell | cow_bell |
block.note_block.cow_bell |
note.cow_bell
|
| Didgeridoo | didgeridoo |
block.note_block.didgeridoo |
note.didgeridoo
|
| Bit (Clarinet/Synthesizer) | bit |
block.note_block.bit |
note.bit
|
| Banjo | banjo |
block.note_block.banjo |
note.banjo
|
| Pling (60's E. piano) | pling |
block.note_block.pling |
note.pling
|
| Trumpet | trumpet |
block.note_block.trumpet |
note.trumpet
|
| Exposed Trumpet (Distorted Trumpet) | trumpet_exposed |
block.note_block.trumpet_exposed |
note.trumpet_exposed
|
| Weathered Trumpet (Trombone) | trumpet_weathered |
block.note_block.trumpet_weathered |
note.trumpet_weathered
|
| Oxidized Trumpet (Distorted Trombone) | trumpet_oxidized |
block.note_block.trumpet_oxidized |
note.trumpet_oxidized
|
| Harp (Piano) | harp |
block.note_block.harp |
note.harp
|
| Mob head instruments | |||
| Skeleton Skull (rattle) | skeleton |
block.note_block.imitate.skeleton |
note.skeleton
|
| Wither Skeleton Skull (rattle) | wither_skeleton |
block.note_block.imitate.wither_skeleton |
note.witherskeleton
|
| Zombie Head (moan) | zombie |
block.note_block.imitate.zombie |
note.zombie
|
| Creeper Head (hiss) | creeper |
block.note_block.imitate.creeper |
note.creeper
|
| Piglin Head (snort) | piglin |
block.note_block.imitate.piglin |
note.piglin
|
| Dragon Head (roar) | dragon |
block.note_block.imitate.ender_dragon |
note.enderdragon
|
| Player Head | custom_head |
Silent by default; set using note_block_sound NBT |
Silent by default |
Achievements
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 | Other | |||||
| Birthday Song | Have an Allay drop a cake at a note block | Tame an allay by giving it a cake while having dropped cake items and play a note block nearby. | 10 | Bronze | ||
Advancements
| Icon | Advancement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Birthday Song | Have an Allay drop a Cake at a Note Block | Have an allay that is holding a cake previously given to it by the player throw any other cake on a note block. This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed. |
Videos
History
Java Edition
| Java Edition Beta | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | |||||||
| Note blocks have 5 instruments: "Harp", "Bass", "Bass drum", "Snare drum", "Click". | |||||||
| "Pling" is also added in the sound files, but is currently unused. | |||||||
| Java Edition | |||||||
| 1.0.0 | Beta 1.9 Prerelease 6 | Note blocks are now broken faster using an axe. | |||||
| 1.2.4 | Spruce planks, birch planks, and jungle planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | ||||||
| 1.7.2 | 1.7.1 | Acacia planks and dark oak planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | |||||
| 1.8.2 | pre1 | Added "Note blocks played" and "Note blocks tuned" to statistics | |||||
| 1.9 | 15w34a | The power state of note blocks is now controlled through the powered tag, and therefore can now be controlled independently of any redstone signal. | |||||
| 15w47a | Note blocks now use wood sounds rather than stone sounds. | ||||||
| 1.11 | 16w32a | The block entity ID of note blocks has been changed from Music to noteblock. | |||||
| 1.12 | 17w16a | Added sound events (but not the sounds themselves) for additional instruments (bell, chime, flute, guitar, xylophone) to note blocks. | |||||
| 17w17a | Added sounds for additional instruments to note blocks. | ||||||
| 1.13 | 17w47a | The ID has been changed from noteblock to note_block.
| |||||
Note blocks are no longer block entities and instead are defined by the note, powered, and instrument block states.
| |||||||
| Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 25. | |||||||
| Note blocks can now be pushed by pistons. | |||||||
| 1.14 | 18w43a | ||||||
| 19w09a | Added sounds to note blocks for additional instruments (iron xylophone, cow bell, didgeridoo, bit, banjo), and implemented the "Pling" instrument into the game. | ||||||
| 1.16 | 20w06a | Crimson planks and warped planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | |||||
| 20w13a | Nether wood planks now produce the bass sound instead of the harp sound. | ||||||
| 1.19 | 22w11a | Mangrove planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | |||||
| 22w13a | Note blocks now generate as part of ancient cities. | ||||||
| Note blocks can now be silenced only with wool or carpets on top. | |||||||
| Note blocks now attract allays. | |||||||
| 22w14a | Added the hidden advancement "Birthday Song", which is rewarded by having an allay drop a cake at a note block. | ||||||
| 22w15a | The change to note block silencing mentioned above for 22w13a has now been reverted. | ||||||
| 22w17a | Note blocks now emit a vibration particle when attracting an allay. | ||||||
| 1.19.3 Experiment | 22w42a | Bamboo planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | |||||
| 22w46a | When placing a mob head on a note block, that note block will now play one of the ambient sounds of that mob when played. | ||||||
| 1.19.4 Experiment | 23w03a | Heads can now be placed on note blocks without sneaking. | |||||
| 23w07a | Cherry planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | ||||||
| 1.20 | 23w12a | The mob head changes are no longer behind the experimental toggle. | |||||
| 1.21.2 Experiment | 24w40a | Pale oak planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | |||||
| 26.1 | snap7 | Added the "Trumpet", "Exposed Trumpet (Distorted Trumpet)", "Weathered Trumpet (Trombone)", and "Oxidized Trumpet (Distorted Trombone)" instruments. | |||||
| Note blocks placed on Copper Blocks, Chiseled Copper, Cut Copper, Cut Copper Stairs, and Cut Copper Slabs now play trumpet sounds instead of harp. | |||||||
| snap11 | Updated the trumpet sound assets. | ||||||
| 26.3 | snap1 | Poplar planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | |||||
Bedrock Edition
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v0.13.0 | build 1 | ||||||
| Five instruments are available: Harp, Bass, Bass drum, Snare drum, Click. | |||||||
| build 3 | Note blocks can now be activated by redstone. | ||||||
| v0.15.0 | build 1 | Note blocks can now be moved by pistons. | |||||
| Bedrock Edition | |||||||
| 1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | ||||||
| 1.13.0 | beta 1.13.0.9 | Added all new note block sounds from Java Edition 1.12 and 1.14. | |||||
| Note blocks with glowstone underneath now produce the "pling" sound instead of "hat". | |||||||
| 1.18.30 Experiment | Preview 1.18.30.23 | A note block played near an allay becomes its favorite note block for 30 seconds. | |||||
| Placing a block on top of a note block no longer mutes it, with the exception of wool blocks. | |||||||
| 1.19.0 | Preview 1.19.0.27 | Reverted the change made in beta 1.18.30.22 in which only wool would block sounds. | |||||
| Note blocks now generate in ancient cities. | |||||||
| 1.19.60 Experiment | Preview 1.19.60.20 | Heads can now be placed on note blocks to play the respective mob sound. | |||||
| Preview 1.19.60.25 | Heads can now be placed on note blocks without sneaking. | ||||||
| 1.20.0 | Preview 1.20.0.21 | The mob head changes are no longer behind the experimental toggle. | |||||
| 1.20.10 | Preview 1.20.10.20 | Note blocks with soul soil underneath now produce the "harp" sound instead of "snare". | |||||
| 1.21.50 | Preview 1.21.50.20 | Pale oak planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | |||||
| Note blocks placed on Heavy Core now play the snare sound instead of harp. | |||||||
| 26.10 | Preview 26.10.23 | Added the "Trumpet", "Exposed Trumpet (Distorted Trumpet)", "Weathered Trumpet (Trombone)", and "Oxidized Trumpet (Distorted Trombone)" instruments. | |||||
| Note blocks placed on Copper Blocks, Cut Copper, and Chiseled Copper now play trumpet sounds instead of harp. | |||||||
| 26.20 | Preview 26.20.20 | Note blocks placed on Cut Copper Slabs and Cut Copper Stairs now also play trumpet sounds. | |||||
| 26.30 | Preview 26.30.25 | Tuned trumpet sound assets for all trumpets so that they are in tune with other note block variants.[5] | |||||
| 26.30 Experiment | Preview 26.30.29 | Added the component minecraft:instrument_sound. It can be used to assign an instrument to "up" and "down" faces of a custom block; all current instruments can be used to define a sound. | |||||
Legacy Console Edition
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox 360 | Xbox One | PS3 | PS4 | PS Vita | Wii U | Switch | |
| TU1 | CU1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | |
| TU9 | Spruce planks and birch planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | ||||||
| TU12 | Jungle planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | ||||||
| TU25 | CU14 | 1.17 | 1.17 | 1.17 | Acacia planks and dark oak planks can now be used to craft note blocks. | ||
| TU53 | CU43 | 1.49 | 1.50 | 1.49 | Patch 23 | 1.0.3 | Added new note block sounds. |
| 1.90 | |||||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
| New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1.0 | |||||||
Data history
| Java Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 | 14w06a | Note blocks now use the newly-implemented model json file models/block/cube.json; previously the geometry was defined in the game code itself. | |||||
| 1.9 | 15w34a | The power state of note blocks is now controlled through the powered tag, and therefore can now be controlled independently of any redstone signal. | |||||
| 1.11 | 16w32a | The block entity ID of note blocks has been changed from Music to noteblock. | |||||
| 1.13 | 17w47a | The ID has been changed from noteblock to note_block.
| |||||
Note blocks are no longer block entities and instead are defined by the note, powered, and instrument block states.
| |||||||
| Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 25. | |||||||
Issues
Issues relating to "Note block" or "Noteblock" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.
Trivia
- Because a note block is a wooden-type block, a note block directly on top of another one produces a string bass sound when playing notes.
- In Java Edition, note blocks have the highest number of possible block state combinations, at 1350, beating fire's 512 and redstone dust's 1296.
Gallery
Screenshots
-
Redstone linked to note blocks, playing a simple melody when the button is pressed -
Vibration particles sent by the note block to the allay -

Concept art
-
A concept sketch tweeted by Notch depicting what would eventually become the note block
In other media
-
Sunny using a piglin head on a note block -

-
Efe placing a zombie head sneakily on the note block -
Makena waking up startled at the sound of zombies being played on the note block
See also
- Tutorial:Redstone music
- Tutorial:Redstone music/Doorbell
Jukebox- Minecraft Note Block Studio – A music editor for Minecraft.
References
- ↑ Original chart by cookingfat
- ↑ Original /playsound pitch chart by kwerti
- ↑ MC-212976 – Parity issue: Note blocks placed above honeycomb blocks don't play the flute instrument
- ↑ MCPE-53919
- ↑ MCPE-237578
External links
- Block of the Week: Note Block – Minecraft.net on June 1, 2018
- Search YouTube for the many songs played on note blocks









