Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina is a virtual instrument in the Nintendo Switch App for the Ocarina of Time remake. You can play notes on your smartphone touchscreen, follow a music score, listen to an automatic performance and create your own scores to share by QR code.
The remake also lets Link perform learned songs in the game using button inputs, the console’s microphone or a real ocarina. That’s separate from Play Ocarina on your phone, which focuses on freely playing notes, following music scores and sharing your own compositions. Both arrive with the remake on 5 November 2026.
What is Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina?
The virtual ocarina has four confirmed uses: free touchscreen playing, playing along with a guide, listening to an automatic performance, and making music scores you can share by QR code. Each option is part of the phone companion, not a setting inside Link’s equipment menu.
Want to experiment with a tune? Use the touchscreen instrument. Prefer to follow along? Choose the guided playing feature. You can also hear a score performed automatically. Creating and sharing a score is the option for players who want to put their own melody together.
How Gossip Quest earns music scores for Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina
Gossip Quest gives you a picture clue and asks you to find the matching place in the Switch 2 game. Completing the challenge earns points towards music scores for Play Ocarina, linking Hyrule exploration with the phone’s music tools.
Once you’ve earned music scores through Gossip Quest, they give you more to enjoy in the virtual instrument’s guided and automatic playing modes. Nintendo has confirmed the connection between location quests and scores, although the individual score list will be visible in the released app.
You can still use the virtual ocarina to play notes freely. That is one of Nintendo’s confirmed options in its own right, so the phone instrument isn’t simply a reward screen for Gossip Quest players.
How to make songs with Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina
Nintendo lets you make your own music scores and share them through QR codes. This is the creative part of Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina: rather than only playing the songs linked to Link’s quest, you can put together your own melody.
Try a melody with the virtual instrument, work out the notes you want and use the app’s score-making feature to create a shareable piece. Nintendo confirms QR-code sharing, so the finished result is a music score you can pass along. The exact editor buttons will be shown in the app at launch.
A QR code lets you share the music score you’ve created. That gives you a way to pass a melody to friends without sending them a recording. Try starting with a short original tune, then use the score-making feature to share it.
Is Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina the same as the game’s ocarina?
No. Link’s ocarina is part of the actual adventure, and its learned songs open paths and trigger changes in the world. Nintendo confirms button controls and sound recognition through the Switch 2 microphone, including humming or playing a real ocarina nearby. The phone’s virtual instrument is a separate activity.
Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina is for playing on a smart-device touchscreen, following or listening to scores and sharing compositions. For Link’s story songs and the controls you’ll use on the console, see our Ocarina Songs guide.
Do you need Nintendo Switch Online for Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina?
No Nintendo Switch Online membership is needed for ZELDA NOTES. You’ll need the Switch 2 remake, a Nintendo Account, a compatible smart device with the Nintendo Switch App and persistent internet access for the companion service. That is separate from the membership arrangements for older Zelda games in Nintendo Classics.
The other game-specific ZELDA NOTES activities include Today’s Record, the daily trivia quiz and Gossip Quest. Our full ZELDA NOTES breakdown explains what each does, so you can choose the features you’re actually interested in.
When does Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina release?
Ocarina of Time ZELDA NOTES Play Ocarina launches with the Switch 2 remake on 5 November 2026. Nintendo has confirmed the virtual touchscreen instrument, guided and automatic performances, score-making and QR-code sharing.
If making music is your favourite part of Zelda, start with the touchscreen instrument and try the guided or automatic modes when you have scores to play. You can use Gossip Quest to work towards those scores while exploring Hyrule.
Related Guides
Official source: Nintendo: Ocarina of Time and ZELDA NOTES announcement.
