Free tool
Bars to minutes.
You write in bars. Distributors, editors and playlists care about minutes. Set the tempo, lay out the song, and see exactly how long each part runs — and where it lands.
Structure calculator
Total length0:000 bars
How long is a bar?
One bar is four beats in almost all rap and R&B, so a bar lasts4 × 60 ÷ BPM seconds. At 140 BPM that is about 1.71 seconds, which makes a 16-bar verse roughly 27 seconds.
That is why tempo changes length so much. The same 8-bar hook is 19 seconds at 100 BPM and 13 seconds at 150 — worth knowing before you write four verses and wonder why the song runs past four minutes.
Layouts that work
- Radio-length — intro 4, verse 16, hook 8, verse 16, hook 8, bridge 8, hook 8, outro 4. Around 3 minutes at 140.
- Streaming-first — hook first, then verse 16, hook, verse 12, hook. Gets to the idea before anyone skips.
- Two-verse — verse 16, hook 8, verse 16, hook 8. Short, and the easiest to finish.
Once you know the shape, find a beat that fits it — the tempo you settle on is the one to look for.