Arduino Button-Controlled Melody – Play Music with a Button and Buzzer

n this tutorial, you’ll learn how to play a melody on a buzzer using Arduino when a button is pressed. This project uses the tone() function to generate musical notes and demonstrates how to use external input (a button) to trigger sound output.

It’s a fun and educational way to explore digital inputs, tone generation, and melody timing — perfect for beginners or makers who want to experiment with sound.

Hardware Required

• Arduino Uno board
• Piezo buzzer (or small passive buzzer)
• Push button
• 10kΩ resistor (for pull-down circuit)
• Breadboard
• Jumper wires

How It Works

When the button is pressed, Arduino plays a short melody through the buzzer. Each musical note corresponds to a specific frequency (in hertz), and the tone() function is used to output that frequency on the buzzer pin.

The melody is stored in arrays (melody[] and noteDurations[]) and plays sequentially when the button input is detected.

Circuit Explanation

1. Buzzer Connection

• Connect the buzzer’s positive leg (+) to digital pin 8 on Arduino.
• Connect the negative leg (-) to GND.

2. Button Connection

• Place the push button on the breadboard.
• Connect one side of the button to +5V.
• Connect the other side to digital pin 12 on the Arduino.
• Also connect a 10kΩ resistor between the button’s ground side and GND — this acts as a pull-down resistor, keeping the signal LOW when the button is not pressed.

Circuit Summary Table

Arduino Code

Below is the fully corrected and working code.
This version includes the pitches.h library — a file that defines all note frequencies.

Step 1: Create the pitches.h File

Before uploading the main sketch, you need to create a file named pitches.h in the same Arduino project folder.

Copy this into pitches.h:

#define NOTE_B0  31
#define NOTE_C1  33
#define NOTE_CS1 35
#define NOTE_D1  37
#define NOTE_DS1 39
#define NOTE_E1  41
#define NOTE_F1  44
#define NOTE_FS1 46
#define NOTE_G1  49
#define NOTE_GS1 52
#define NOTE_A1  55
#define NOTE_AS1 58
#define NOTE_B1  62
#define NOTE_C2  65
#define NOTE_CS2 69
#define NOTE_D2  73
#define NOTE_DS2 78
#define NOTE_E2  82
#define NOTE_F2  87
#define NOTE_FS2 93
#define NOTE_G2  98
#define NOTE_GS2 104
#define NOTE_A2  110
#define NOTE_AS2 117
#define NOTE_B2  123
#define NOTE_C3  131
#define NOTE_CS3 139
#define NOTE_D3  147
#define NOTE_DS3 156
#define NOTE_E3  165
#define NOTE_F3  175
#define NOTE_FS3 185
#define NOTE_G3  196
#define NOTE_GS3 208
#define NOTE_A3  220
#define NOTE_AS3 233
#define NOTE_B3  247
#define NOTE_C4  262
#define NOTE_CS4 277
#define NOTE_D4  294
#define NOTE_DS4 311
#define NOTE_E4  330
#define NOTE_F4  349
#define NOTE_FS4 370
#define NOTE_G4  392
#define NOTE_GS4 415
#define NOTE_A4  440
#define NOTE_AS4 466
#define NOTE_B4  494
#define NOTE_C5  523
#define NOTE_CS5 554
#define NOTE_D5  587
#define NOTE_DS5 622
#define NOTE_E5  659
#define NOTE_F5  698
#define NOTE_FS5 740
#define NOTE_G5  784
#define NOTE_GS5 831
#define NOTE_A5  880
#define NOTE_AS5 932
#define NOTE_B5  988
#define NOTE_C6  1047
#define NOTE_CS6 1109
#define NOTE_D6  1175
#define NOTE_DS6 1245
#define NOTE_E6  1319
#define NOTE_F6  1397
#define NOTE_FS6 1480
#define NOTE_G6  1568
#define NOTE_GS6 1661
#define NOTE_A6  1760
#define NOTE_AS6 1865
#define NOTE_B6  1976
#define NOTE_C7  2093
#define NOTE_CS7 2217
#define NOTE_D7  2349
#define NOTE_DS7 2489
#define NOTE_E7  2637
#define NOTE_F7  2794
#define NOTE_FS7 2960
#define NOTE_G7  3136
#define NOTE_GS7 3322
#define NOTE_A7  3520
#define NOTE_AS7 3729
#define NOTE_B7  3951
#define NOTE_C8  4186
#define NOTE_CS8 4435
#define NOTE_D8  4699
#define NOTE_DS8 4978

Step 2: Main Sketch (buttonMelody.ino)

#include "pitches.h"  // Include note frequency definitions

int melody[] = {
  NOTE_C4, NOTE_G3, NOTE_G3, NOTE_A3, NOTE_G3, 0, NOTE_B3, NOTE_C4
};

int noteDurations[] = {
  4, 8, 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
};

int buttonPin = 12;   // Button connected to pin 12

void setup() {
  pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);  // Set button pin as input
}

void loop() {
  int buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);  // Read button state

  if (buttonState == HIGH) {  // When button is pressed
    for (int thisNote = 0; thisNote < 8; thisNote++) {

      int noteDuration = 1000 / noteDurations[thisNote];
      tone(8, melody[thisNote], noteDuration);  // Play the note on pin 8

      int pauseBetweenNotes = noteDuration * 1.30;
      delay(pauseBetweenNotes);  // Wait before next note
      noTone(8);  // Stop sound
    }
  }
}

How the Code Works

1. The melody[] array stores the musical notes to play.
2. The noteDurations[] array defines how long each note lasts (4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note).
3. When the button is pressed, Arduino loops through the melody and plays each note using tone(pin, frequency, duration).
4. The pauseBetweenNotes variable ensures each note is clearly separated.
5. The pitches.h file defines frequencies for standard music notes.

Common Errors and Fixes

• ❌ Error: fatal error: pitches.h: No such file or directory
  ✅ Fix: Create a new tab in Arduino IDE (click the down arrow → New Tab → name it pitches.h) and paste the frequency definitions.
• ❌ Buzzer always ON or distorted sound:
  ✅ Ensure your buzzer is a passive buzzer (not an active one). Active buzzers have built-in oscillators and don’t work properly with tone().
• ❌ Button doesn’t respond:
  ✅ Check your pull-down resistor (10kΩ between button pin and GND). Without it, the input may “float” and read random signals.

Applications

• Simple sound feedback systems
• Interactive projects (toys, alarms, doorbells)
• Custom music projects using multiple melodies

Conclusion

You’ve now built a working Arduino Button Buzzer Melody Project, where pressing a button triggers a predefined melody.
This project introduces you to digital input handling, sound generation, and timing in Arduino, forming a foundation for more advanced projects like music alarms, sound-based games, or interactive art installations.