Trial, Error, and Redstone Repeaters
I worked with Minecraft Java Edition (Education Edition is probably more appropriate but was more difficult to acquire, go figure!) to test how to tune note blocks, use redstone repeaters to time melodies, and how block types influence timbre. At first it required a dive into Youtube tutorials (like the one above) on the basics of redstone with note blocks, as well as which block materials produced different timbres for the note blocks. It took hours of experimenting and some frustrated restarts, but eventually I understood how timing and tone could be harnessed in Minecraft.
I also chose and listened to the traditional folk tunes I wanted to include in my demo world: “La Cucaracha” (Mexico), "Sakura Salura" (Japan), and "Korobeiniki" (Russia) and broke down their pitch sequences to translate into the block-based format. Building folk tunes into Minecraft forced me to hear them differently, and appreciate how creative constraints invite problem-solving. I created the tunes through listening to the pitches by ear, but did also discover that Minecraft shows the pitch from each note block through the colour of the quaver that appears when activated.
Game-based learning was evident in how quickly I (and potentially my students) could enter a state of flow and focus singuarly on perfecting the task. I was testing, iterating, and adapting musical ideas trhough very familar inputs, and using Minecraft’s visual interface allowed for the musical concepts to appear in a coded format.
