Musical Instruments
Instruments turn your hotbar into a keyboard. Hold one in your off-hand and press 1 through 8. Hold Shift for a second layer of chords or higher notes. There are nine instruments, each with a completely different sound. Other players hear you from about 64 blocks away. All nine are crafted at the Instrument Station and crafting them requires the Bard class, but anyone can play one, so an instrument you are given or buy works fine.
Updated
The numbers
- Audible range
- 64 blocks
- Sound category
- Recordsthe Jukebox / Note Blocks slider
- Craft time
- 10 secondsall nine, at the Instrument Station
- Class needed to play
- NoneOnly Bards can craft them
How to play
- Put the instrument in your off-hand. Your main hand is irrelevant.
- Press number keys 1 to 8 to play notes. The scale runs: 1=C, 2=D, 3=E, 4=F, 5=G, 6=A, 7=B, 8=C (an octave up).
- Hold Shift and press 1 to 8 for the second layer. On most instruments that's a full chord; on the Flute, Trumpet and Bagpipe it's the same scale an octave higher, giving sixteen notes total.
- After every note your selection snaps back to slot 9, so you can hit the same note twice in a row. Whatever sits in slot 9 is what bystanders see in your main hand while you play.
- A single note particle appears above your head with each note, so everyone can tell it is you.
Record your own music discs
Craft a Music Station at the Instrument Station, place it and right-click it to open the recording studio. Create a song, hold an instrument in your off-hand and record your performance. You can layer multiple tracks and preview the mix before publishing.
Place a single vanilla music disc on the studio's Publish full song control to turn it into your recording. Play it in an ordinary jukebox, just like a vanilla Minecraft music disc.
The four Lutes that are not instruments
Instrument Station is shared with four Bard weapons. They are not instruments and cannot be played.
| Item | What it is |
|---|---|
| Iron Lute | Bard weapon, not playable |
| Steel Lute | Bard weapon, not playable |
| Abyssalite Lute | Bard weapon, not playable |
| Mythril Lute | Bard weapon, not playable |
Commands
| Command | Aliases | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
/instruments keybinds | — | Prints the full note and chord layout for the instrument currently in your off-hand. | You must be holding an instrument in your off-hand, or it just tells you so. Permission instruments.use, default true - no normal player is ever blocked. |
/instruments list | — | Prints the name of every instrument that exists on the server. | Needs nothing in hand. Permission instruments.use, default true - no normal player is ever blocked. |
FAQ
- "My instrument makes no sound."
- Three things, in order. One: your Jukebox/Note Blocks volume slider must not be at zero: notes play in the Records category, not Master or Ambient. Two: the instrument must be in your off-hand. Three: press 1–8; slot 9 is the reset slot and plays nothing.
- "Can I craft an instrument without being a Bard?"
- No: all nine recipes require the Bard class.
- "Can I play an instrument without being a Bard?"
- Yes. Anyone can play one.