Super Simple Playable Instruments
⚪ Last updated 2020⚠️ Install Order · 6 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview
🔍 Analysis
- 👍 5.2% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #21 of 91 Animation mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
Descriptions:
This is an ultra lightweight playable instrument mod. Although there are existing playable instrument mods already, they often have feature creep or bloated scripts. This mod adds a small script to the 3 instruments that causes the player to play them with one of the randomly selected vanilla songs.
Activate the instrument from the inventory and it will start when the menu is closed.
Stopping animation:
If you have SKSE, press space bar to stop animation.
Features:
- ESP file flagged as ESL
- Lightweight. 3 vanilla records edited (the 3 instruments) and adds a new script. From 1. 1. 0 onwards, uses spell and magic effect to control each instrument.
- Carries forward the USSEP fixes but does not require it as a master
Known Issues:
- Sometimes will glitch if you have multiples of the same instrument in your inventory
- May have issues if you have or have previously had a mod editing the instrument records
Script source included. Feel free to edit to suit your own tastes if required. This is a polished proof of concept that worked well enough for release.
My Mods:
Lights Out! Lighthouse Fix
Super Simple Playable Instruments
Simple Follower Sandbox
Camilla Gets Married
Super Simple Playable Instruments is a lightweight Skyrim mod that lets you play the three vanilla instruments (lute, flute, drum) with random vanilla songs. It uses a minimal script and an ESL-flagged ESP, carrying forward USSEP fixes without requiring it. Ideal for players who want instrument functionality without heavy scripts or feature creep.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Lightweight and efficient—only touches 3 records, so it won't bloat your save or script load.
- Community-approved with 654 endorsements and over 12k downloads, so it's proven to work.
- ESL-flagged means it won't count against your mod limit, perfect for load order hoarders.
⚠️ Cons
- Can glitch if you have multiples of the same instrument in your inventory—so don't hoard lutes.
- May conflict with other mods that edit the instrument records, so check your load order.
- No updates since November 2020, so it's essentially abandoned—but it works fine as-is.
For Skyrim players who want to play instruments without the bloat of bigger mods like Ordinator or Become a Bard. If you're a minimalist modder who values performance and simplicity, this is your jam. Skip if you want complex features like custom songs or instrument crafting—this is purely the basics.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Make sure SKSE is installed and launched via skse_loader.exe, or the space bar stop won't work.
- If you have other instrument mods, place this one after them in your load order to avoid record conflicts.
- Use a mod manager like Vortex or MO2 to install—it's just a simple ESP, so it's a breeze.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- murrayj
- Version
- 1.1.0
- Downloads
- 12,555
- Endorsements
- 654
- Category
- Animation
- Created
- 4/28/2020
- Updated
- 11/2/2020
🧩 Commonly Used Together
Users add these mods to the same collections — a real compatibility signal, not an AI guess.
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Skyrim →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
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