Arduino Buzzer Mario Bros Code — Complete Song + Wiring (2025)

Play the Super Mario Bros theme on an Arduino with a passive piezo buzzer. This guide has the complete working code, wiring, and explanations — ready to copy and run.

Time to complete: 5 minutes
Required: Arduino Uno/Nano, passive piezo buzzer, one jumper wire

What You Need

Component	Quantity	Notes
Arduino Uno, Nano, or Mega	1	Any 5V Arduino works
Passive piezo buzzer	1	Must be passive (not active)
Breadboard	1	Optional but helpful
Jumper wires	2	Male-to-male

⚠️ Active vs Passive buzzer: An active buzzer has a built-in oscillator and only makes one tone. A passive buzzer requires an external signal to set the frequency — that's what you need for melodies. Passive buzzers are usually labeled with a "+" sign and no circuit board on them. When in doubt, test with tone(3, 1000, 200) — if you hear a clear 1 kHz beep, it's passive.

Wiring

Simple 2-wire connection:

Buzzer Pin	Arduino Pin
+ (positive)	Digital pin 3
– (negative)	GND

Pin 3 is PWM-capable, which the tone() function requires. You can optionally add a 100Ω resistor in series to protect the buzzer at high volumes.

Complete Code — Super Mario Bros Theme

// Super Mario Bros Theme for Arduino + Passive Buzzer
// Pin: Digital 3

#define NOTE_B0  31
#define NOTE_C1  33
#define NOTE_D1  37
#define NOTE_E1  41
#define NOTE_F1  44
#define NOTE_G1  49
#define NOTE_A1  55
#define NOTE_B1  62
#define NOTE_C2  65
#define NOTE_D2  73
#define NOTE_E2  82
#define NOTE_F2  87
#define NOTE_G2  98
#define NOTE_A2  110
#define NOTE_B2  123
#define NOTE_C3  131
#define NOTE_D3  147
#define NOTE_E3  165
#define NOTE_F3  175
#define NOTE_G3  196
#define NOTE_A3  220
#define NOTE_B3  247
#define NOTE_C4  262
#define NOTE_D4  294
#define NOTE_E4  330
#define NOTE_F4  349
#define NOTE_G4  392
#define NOTE_A4  440
#define NOTE_AS4 466
#define NOTE_B4  494
#define NOTE_C5  523
#define NOTE_D5  587
#define NOTE_E5  659
#define NOTE_F5  698
#define NOTE_G5  784
#define NOTE_A5  880
#define NOTE_B5  988
#define NOTE_C6  1047
#define NOTE_D6  1175
#define NOTE_E6  1319
#define NOTE_F6  1397
#define NOTE_G6  1568
#define NOTE_A6  1760
#define NOTE_B6  1976
#define NOTE_C7  2093
#define NOTE_D7  2349
#define NOTE_E7  2637
#define REST     0

#define BUZZER_PIN 3

// Super Mario Bros main theme
int marioMelody[] = {
  NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, REST, NOTE_E5, REST, NOTE_C5, NOTE_E5, REST,
  NOTE_G5, REST, REST, REST, NOTE_G4, REST, REST, REST,
  NOTE_C5, REST, REST, NOTE_G4, REST, REST, NOTE_E4, REST,
  REST, NOTE_A4, REST, NOTE_B4, REST, NOTE_AS4, NOTE_A4, REST,
  NOTE_G4, NOTE_E5, NOTE_G5, NOTE_A5, REST, NOTE_F5, NOTE_G5, REST,
  NOTE_E5, REST, NOTE_C5, NOTE_D5, NOTE_B4, REST, REST,
  NOTE_C5, REST, REST, NOTE_G4, REST, REST, NOTE_E4, REST,
  REST, NOTE_A4, REST, NOTE_B4, REST, NOTE_AS4, NOTE_A4, REST,
  NOTE_G4, NOTE_E5, NOTE_G5, NOTE_A5, REST, NOTE_F5, NOTE_G5, REST,
  NOTE_E5, REST, NOTE_C5, NOTE_D5, NOTE_B4, REST, REST
};

// Note durations: 4 = quarter, 8 = eighth, -4 = dotted quarter
int marioDurations[] = {
  8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8,
  8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8,
  8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8,
  8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8,
  4, 4, 4, 4, 8, 4, 4, 8,
  4, 8, 8, 8, 4, 8, 8,
  8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8,
  8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8,
  4, 4, 4, 4, 8, 4, 4, 8,
  4, 8, 8, 8, 4, 8, 8
};

void playMelody(int* melody, int* durations, int length) {
  for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
    int noteDuration = 1000 / durations[i];
    
    if (melody[i] == REST) {
      delay(noteDuration);
    } else {
      tone(BUZZER_PIN, melody[i], noteDuration);
      delay(noteDuration * 1.3);  // pause between notes
      noTone(BUZZER_PIN);
    }
  }
}

void setup() {
  // Optional: test the buzzer on startup
  tone(BUZZER_PIN, 1000, 100);
  delay(200);
}

void loop() {
  int melodyLength = sizeof(marioMelody) / sizeof(marioMelody[0]);
  playMelody(marioMelody, marioDurations, melodyLength);
  delay(3000);  // 3-second pause before repeating
}

How the Code Works

The code uses Arduino's built-in tone() function, which generates a square wave at the specified frequency on a PWM pin.

tone(pin, frequency, duration)

pin — the pin connected to the buzzer (pin 3)
frequency — the note frequency in Hz (e.g., 523 for C5)
duration — how long to play the note in milliseconds

Each note in the NOTE_X definitions is a frequency in Hz based on the equal temperament scale. Middle C (C4) = 262 Hz. Each octave up doubles the frequency.

Duration calculation: 1000 / duration_value converts the duration values (4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note) into milliseconds based on a tempo reference.

Add More Songs

The code is structured to easily add more melodies. Here's a simple Happy Birthday:

int birthdayMelody[] = {
  NOTE_C4, NOTE_C4, NOTE_D4, NOTE_C4, NOTE_F4, NOTE_E4, REST,
  NOTE_C4, NOTE_C4, NOTE_D4, NOTE_C4, NOTE_G4, NOTE_F4, REST,
  NOTE_C4, NOTE_C4, NOTE_C5, NOTE_A4, NOTE_F4, NOTE_E4, NOTE_D4, REST,
  NOTE_B4, NOTE_B4, NOTE_A4, NOTE_F4, NOTE_G4, NOTE_F4, REST
};

int birthdayDurations[] = {
  4, 8, 4, 4, 4, 2, 4,
  4, 8, 4, 4, 4, 2, 4,
  4, 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 2, 4,
  4, 8, 4, 4, 4, 2, 4
};

To play it, call playMelody(birthdayMelody, birthdayDurations, sizeof(birthdayMelody) / sizeof(birthdayMelody[0]));.

Simulate on Wokwi

Test the code without hardware: open this project on Wokwi, add a passive buzzer, connect it to pin 3 and GND, paste the code, and click Play.

Troubleshooting

No sound at all:

Confirm it's a passive buzzer (active buzzers won't work with tone())
Check the polarity (+ to pin 3, − to GND)
Test with a simple tone: tone(3, 1000, 500); delay(600); in setup()

Buzzing noise but no melody:

You may have an active buzzer. Replace it with a passive one.

Melody plays too fast or slow:

Adjust the multiplier in delay(noteDuration * 1.3). Increase for slower, decrease for faster.

Sound is very quiet:

Remove the optional resistor if you added one
Try a different buzzer — quality varies significantly between brands

Code doesn't upload:

Select Tools → Board → Arduino Uno (or Nano)
For Nano clones: Tools → Processor → ATmega328P (Old Bootloader)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What's the difference between active and passive buzzers for Arduino? An active buzzer has a built-in oscillator — it makes sound whenever 5V is applied. It only makes one fixed tone. A passive buzzer requires an external oscillating signal (from tone()) to produce sound, allowing any frequency and therefore melodies.

Can I use pin 8 instead of pin 3 for the buzzer? tone() works on any digital pin on Arduino Uno/Nano. Change #define BUZZER_PIN 3 to #define BUZZER_PIN 8 and update your wiring.

Does this code work on Arduino Nano or ESP32? Yes. For Arduino Nano, no changes needed. For ESP32, tone() is supported on ESP32 Arduino core v2+. Use any GPIO pin.

Can I play two notes at the same time? The standard tone() function only plays one frequency at a time. For polyphony on Arduino, you need a dedicated audio library or a DAC-based board.

How do I make the melody loop infinitely? The code already loops forever in loop(). Remove the delay(3000) at the end if you don't want the pause between repetitions.

Wokwi Simulator Guide — Simulate this circuit online
How to Connect a Relay with Arduino — Next hardware project
Arduino vs ESP32 — Upgrade path for more complex projects
Frequency Calculator — Understand note frequencies