Minecraft Forge Mod Adds Playable Grand Pianos with Up to 88 Keys
A Forge mod called Solvane & Sons adds playable grand pianos to Minecraft, while redstone note block pianos remain the classic way to make music.
9Minecraft Team
Minecraft players who want a real piano in their world now have two very different routes. The Solvane & Sons mod, a Forge mod listed on Modrinth, drops fully playable grand pianos into the game and lets you play them from your computer keyboard.
The other route is the old redstone one. grokipedia.com describes the Note Block Piano, a hand-built instrument made from note blocks that has been part of Minecraft's building scene since the early days. One approach adds a polished instrument. The other asks you to engineer it yourself.
Solvane & Sons: a piano you can actually sit at
According to Modrinth, you place a piano, sit at the bench and start playing. Notes come from your computer keyboard, and the mod supports a full 88-key range. Optional velocity sensitivity and note particles add to the feel, and the sound system offers reverb and configurable polyphony.
There are five instruments to choose from, and they differ in size and key count.
| Piano | Keys |
|---|---|
| Baby Grand | 61 |
| Medium Grand | 76 |
| Full Grand | 88 |
| Concert Grand | 88 |
| Upright Piano | 88 |
Looks matter in a building game, so the finish list is long. Classic options include Black, White, Mahogany, Walnut, Cherry, Ebony, Rosewood, Oak, Maple and Ivory. Colour finishes include Royal Blue, Emerald, Crimson, Gold, Silver, Pearl, Midnight Purple, Ocean Teal and Sunset Orange. There is also a custom colour option and optional custom piano names.
The mod also covers performance. You can record what you play and save it to a Sheet Music item, or start a new score with Blank Sheet Music. A maximum recording length can be set in the config. Modrinth also lists a metronome with adjustable BPM and a tuning fork. The Piano Hammer and Piano String are crafting items. In multiplayer, an optional sync lets other players hear your playing live.
Server owners get tuning options too. Through the grandpianomod-common.toml file, you can adjust the sound range, master volume, reverb, particles, recording limits and the number of pianos per chunk.
The classic alternative: the Note Block Piano
grokipedia.com traces the note block piano to the weeks after note blocks arrived in Minecraft Beta 1.2. Players quickly began arranging them like keyboards. A typical layout covers two octaves, from F♯3 to F♯5, and each block can be tuned by right-clicking.
Note blocks arrive in Minecraft Beta 1.2.
Players start building keyboard-style note block pianos.
A Note Block Song Contest is held, according to a reference in grokipedia.com's sources.
The setup relies on redstone dust, repeaters or comparators to trigger notes with the right timing and harmony. grokipedia.com says the tone depends on what sits under the block. Harp or pling sounds come from placing the block in open air or on glowstone. Those sounds carry up to 48 blocks.
The same source highlights a player named Piccho. They built a player piano from thousands of blocks, including stone, wool and fence posts. It looks like a real piano, with simulated strings.
Solvane & Sons mod
- Forge mod, so you need the loader
- Play with your computer keyboard
- Five piano types, 61 to 88 keys
- Sheet Music recording and a metronome
Note Block Piano
- Built in-game with redstone
- Up to 25 pitches per tuned block
- Sound changes with the block beneath
- A design the player assembles and shares
Note BlockThe core of every redstone piano.
Redstone DustCarries signals to each key.
RepeaterHelps with precise timing.
GlowstoneGives the pling sound when placed beneath.
JukeboxThe official music feature that note blocks differ from.
What players and builders are doing with it
The material gathered for this story contains no creator videos or player comments. We will not invent any reactions. What the sources do show is a lively habit of sharing. grokipedia.com describes a subculture of composers who publish their designs. Its references include map downloads, tutorials and a contest, so the pull towards music in Minecraft is clearly not new.
Simple blocks, combined well, can produce surprisingly sophisticated music.
grokipedia.com, paraphrased
There are fair limits to weigh. The mod needs Forge and a compatible setup, so Bedrock players are left out. Note block pianos cost more effort to build. A tuned block gives only a limited pitch range, which is why they take so many blocks.
Which piano would you rather have in your world?
Tap an option to vote
How to try it
- Java Edition players can find the files and the Forge loader through the 9Minecraft wiki and the download links on this page.
- Back up your world before adding any mod.
- Place a piano, sit at the bench and play with your keyboard.
- To record a performance, save it to a Sheet Music item.
- If you prefer a vanilla build, place note blocks and tune each one with right-clicks.
Does the piano mod work on Bedrock?
Modrinth lists it as a Minecraft Forge mod, so it targets Java Edition.
Can others hear me play on a server?
Yes. Modrinth says an optional multiplayer sync lets other players hear you in real time.
Do I need mods for a note block piano?
No. grokipedia.com describes it as a player-built redstone design using vanilla blocks.
