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Note Duration Calculator

Work out note duration instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Note Duration Calculator

A note of value v lasts four over v quarter notes, each quarter note being 60000 divided by the tempo, and a dot adds half the note's own length. Dotting adds exactly 50%, so a dotted eighth at 120 bpm is 375 ms, which is why dotted-eighth delay is such a recognisable effect.

Formulas

Note duration

milliseconds = 60000 / tempo x 4 / note value

Dotted note

dotted duration = plain duration x 1.5

Worked example

With the default values below, Note Duration Calculator returns Note duration of 375.000. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Tempominimum 1 bpm
120 bpm
Note valueaccepts 1–64
8
Dotted
Yes

Results

Note duration
375.000 ms
Duration in seconds
0.37500 s
Notes of this length in a 4/4 bar
1.3333
Undotted duration
250.000 ms

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Note duration
  3. 3Dotted note
  4. 4Note duration= 375.000 ms
  5. 5Duration in seconds= 0.37500 s
  6. 6Notes of this length in a 4/4 bar= 1.3333
  7. 7Undotted duration= 250.000 ms

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Note Duration figure worked out?

milliseconds = 60000 / tempo x 4 / note value. A note of value v lasts four over v quarter notes, each quarter note being 60000 divided by the tempo, and a dot adds half the note's own length.

Why does this matter?

Dotting adds exactly 50%, so a dotted eighth at 120 bpm is 375 ms, which is why dotted-eighth delay is such a recognisable effect.

What do I need to enter?

Enter tempo, note value, dotted. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.

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