Note Duration by Tempo Calculator
See how long a musical note lasts at a given tempo. Pick a tempo in beats per minute, a note value, and how many of those notes you play.
- Free
- Works offline after your first visit
- Saves on this device
- No sign-up
- Updated
How it works
A quarter note is one beat. A whole note lasts four beats, a half note two, an eighth note half a beat, and a sixteenth note a quarter of a beat.
To get seconds, multiply the beats by 60 and divide by the tempo in beats per minute.
Worked example
At 120 beats per minute, 1 quarter notes last 1 s in total.
Questions
What is a beat?
A beat is the steady pulse you tap your foot to. In much pop and folk music, a quarter note is one beat.
Why does tempo change the time?
A faster tempo fits more beats into each minute, so each note is shorter.
What about dotted notes?
A dotted note lasts one and a half times its normal value, so multiply the answer by 1.5.
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