How to get music discs in Minecraft

Music discs in Minecraft are one of those items that, although not necessary, are nice to have, and players pride themselves over their music disc collections.

Music discs are so sought after in Minecraft because they are quite challenging to obtain, as players must lure a creeper and skeleton into a position where the latter can kill the creeper for the player.

Some Minecraft players have made efficient farms with the sole intent of trying to collect every disc in the game, and it's completely worth the hassle to be able to pop a copy of 'Far' or 'Chirp' into a jukebox and have a shifting party with friends.

Here are the basics of what players must do to obtain music discs.

Minecraft music discs

Music discs vary in length (Image via Tier Maker)

Currently, Minecraft has 13 unique discs for players to collect and use in jukeboxes. These range in difficulty to obtain, as some can only be accessed in the Nether, chests, or just rarer drops by creepers.

The Minecraft music disc titled 'pigstep' can only be accessed through chests in Bastion Remnants in the Nether and have a 5.6% chance of spawning in every chest. Discs like 'cat' and '13' can be found in chests in both Woodland Mansions and Dungeons.

The discs vary in sound and length, some being upbeat, others being calm, and quite a few being more unsettling than anything else. They vary in length, with the shortest being one minute and eleven seconds (the disc entitled '11') and the longest disc being almost going six minutes (the disc entitled 'blocks.')

There are 13 unique discs for players to collect and use (Image via Planet Minecraft)

Here is an explanation of each of the thirteen different Minecraft music discs that players can collect, telling both the appearance and the sound of the disc:

13: A disc with a yellow and white ring in the center emitting unsettling sounds like cave music, metallic clinks, water splashes, blowing winds, creeper explosions, and bow firings.
Cat: A disc with a lime green ring in the center. The sound is a looping melody of synth music.
Blocks: A disc with a reddish, terracotta-colored center that emits a catchy upbeat rhythm.
Chirp: A disc with a deeper red center that plays a retro, vaporwave like tune.
Far: Another lime green centered disc, this time with yellow accents, that has a relaxing and calm naturesque melody.
Mall: A deep purple center that matches its calm underwater-sounding serene music.
Mellohi: Another purple disc, this time more vibrant with alternating white and purple stripes at the center, that has a slightly melancholic, slow sound that is eerily akin to a waltz.
Stal: This is an entirely black disc that plays a very jazzy piano and saxophone tune.
Strad: This all-white disc plays tropical sounding music with an electronic beat.
Ward: This half lime, half forest green disc plays a mix of Chopin's Funeral March but shifts into an upbeat electronic tune with a dark sound underneath.
11: This is another all-black disc, except this one appears cracked and broken into pieces. It emits a deeply unsettling sound that seems to be a person running across different types of blocks, stopping to use some equipment, coughing, and then returning to run. This is easily the scariest sounding of all of the discs.
Wait: Wait is a disc with a light blue center that plays an upbeat remix of the Minecraft theme.
Pigstep: Pigstep is the newest of all of the discs. It can only be obtained in the Nether via Bastion Remnants and has a red, netherrack colored disc and golden center. It plays an intense beat with mellow overtones.

How do players collect music discs?

If a creeper gets too close to a player, it will explode (Image via LogDotZip, YouTube)

To obtain a Minecraft music disc, the player must lure a skeleton to shoot and kill a Minecraft creeper.

Although this may seem like an easy feat, it can be quite tricky in regular gameplay. Players have to line up the creeper and skeleton (usually while being pursued by both), avoid any other hazards in the world, make sure not to kill the creeper themselves or die in the process.

The most common way to get a Minecraft music disc is to lure both a creeper and skeleton to follow the player and try to line them up, so the former is directly in front of the skeleton. This way, when the skeleton aims at the player, they will fire at the creeper instead.

However, gamers must beware that each shot that lands on the creeper via the skeleton behind it will force the creeper forwards. If it gets too close to the player, it will explode, thus resetting the player's progress.

Tips for collecting Minecraft music discs

Players have come up with many unique ways to collect music discs (Image via Rinos, YouTube)

Some Minecraft players, when trying to collect music discs, will use different tips and tricks to help ease the process.

There are multiple music disc farms that the Minecraft community has come up with, including different Redstone contraptions. Players have found ways to lure skeletons and creepers into piston traps and trap doors to hold them in place, put creepers in boats to prevent them from moving or exploding, and so much more.

Here are the best methods to help a Minecraft player on their music disc collection expedition:

Trapped skeletons can be kept by players for a while (Image via Mojang)

Trap the creeper and skeleton in boats, making them immobile. This allows the player to guide the skeleton's shots without the skeleton moving.

Create a trap door music disc farm, as shown in the video above. This allows the player to obtain quite a few discs in a night and even enables them to keep the skeleton they used if it's covered with a roof to prevent sun damage to it.

Create a piston trap, as shown in the video above. These piston traps allow players to lure the mobs onto pressure plates, which trigger the pistons.

This way, players can also keep the skeleton they are using through multiple nights as long as it is adequately roofed off, as already mentioned.