BPM note duration tells you how long a musical note lasts at a particular tempo.
Once you know the BPM and the beat represented by that tempo, you can calculate the duration of whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, dotted notes, and triplets.
For example, at 120 BPM, if the quarter note receives one beat:
- Quarter note = 500 ms
- Eighth note = 250 ms
- Sixteenth note = 125 ms
- Half note = 1,000 ms
- Whole note = 2,000 ms
The basic idea is simple: first calculate the duration of the reference beat, then multiply or divide it according to the note value.
BPM Note Duration Chart
The following chart assumes that the quarter note is the beat.
| Note value | Beats | Duration at 60 BPM | Duration at 120 BPM | Duration at 140 BPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 4 | 4,000 ms | 2,000 ms | 1,714.29 ms |
| Half note | 2 | 2,000 ms | 1,000 ms | 857.14 ms |
| Quarter note | 1 | 1,000 ms | 500 ms | 428.57 ms |
| Eighth note | 1/2 | 500 ms | 250 ms | 214.29 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 1/4 | 250 ms | 125 ms | 107.14 ms |
| Thirty-second note | 1/8 | 125 ms | 62.5 ms | 53.57 ms |
The standard note-value relationship is:
1 whole = 2 halves = 4 quarters = 8 eighths = 16 sixteenths
This proportional relationship is also reflected in current BPM/note-duration calculators.
How to Calculate Note Duration From BPM
Start by calculating the duration of the reference quarter-note beat:
Quarter-note duration = 60 ÷ BPM seconds
Or, in milliseconds:
Quarter-note duration = 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds
Then apply the note-value multiplier.
For standard note values:
- Whole note = quarter × 4
- Half note = quarter × 2
- Quarter note = quarter × 1
- Eighth note = quarter × 1/2
- Sixteenth note = quarter × 1/4
- Thirty-second note = quarter × 1/8
Example: 120 BPM
At 120 BPM:
60 ÷ 120 = 0.5 seconds
So the quarter-note beat lasts:
500 ms
From there:
Whole: 500 × 4 = 2,000 ms
Half: 500 × 2 = 1,000 ms
Quarter: 500 × 1 = 500 ms
Eighth: 500 × 0.5 = 250 ms
Sixteenth: 500 × 0.25 = 125 ms
This is the simplest way to convert BPM into musical note durations.
Whole Note Duration
A whole note is equivalent to four quarter-note beats when the quarter note is the reference beat.
At 120 BPM:
500 ms × 4 = 2,000 ms
So:
120 BPM → whole note = 2 seconds
At 60 BPM:
1,000 ms × 4 = 4,000 ms
So:
60 BPM → whole note = 4 seconds
The note’s rhythmic value remains the same relative to the beat; its actual time in seconds changes with tempo.
Half Note Duration
A half note lasts twice as long as a quarter note when the quarter note is the reference beat.
At 120 BPM:
500 × 2 = 1,000 ms
Therefore:
120 BPM → half note = 1 second
At 140 BPM:
428.57 × 2 = 857.14 ms
Therefore:
140 BPM → half note ≈ 857 ms
Quarter Note Duration
The quarter note is often the reference beat in common meters such as 4/4.
At 120 BPM:
60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms
Therefore:
120 BPM → quarter note = 500 ms
At 60 BPM:
60,000 ÷ 60 = 1,000 ms
Therefore:
60 BPM → quarter note = 1 second
For a more focused explanation of the underlying beat duration, see BPM Beat Duration.
Eighth Note Duration
An eighth note is half the duration of a quarter note when the quarter note is the reference beat.
At 120 BPM:
500 ÷ 2 = 250 ms
Therefore:
120 BPM → eighth note = 250 ms
In a 4/4 measure, eight eighth notes can fill the same total duration as four quarter notes. Your query data also contains the related search intent “how many beats in an eighth note.”
Sixteenth Note Duration
A sixteenth note is one-quarter of a quarter-note beat when the quarter note is the reference.
At 120 BPM:
500 ÷ 4 = 125 ms
Therefore:
120 BPM → sixteenth note = 125 ms
Four sixteenth notes occupy the same total time as one quarter-note beat.
Thirty-Second Note Duration
A thirty-second note is one-eighth of a quarter-note beat under the same reference.
At 120 BPM:
500 ÷ 8 = 62.5 ms
Therefore:
120 BPM → thirty-second note = 62.5 ms
This becomes useful when working with very short rhythmic subdivisions in music production and sequencing.
Dotted Note Duration
A dot placed after a note adds half of that note’s original duration.
So a dotted note lasts:
1.5 × the original note duration
For example, at 120 BPM:
Dotted quarter note
Quarter note:
500 ms
Dotted quarter:
500 × 1.5 = 750 ms
Dotted half note
Half note:
1,000 ms
Dotted half:
1,000 × 1.5 = 1,500 ms
Dotted eighth note
Eighth note:
250 ms
Dotted eighth:
250 × 1.5 = 375 ms
Current note-duration references consistently use the same 1.5× rule for dotted notes.
Triplet Note Duration
Triplets divide a rhythmic value into three equal parts within the time normally occupied by two of that value.
For a simple quarter-note reference, a quarter-note triplet therefore has a duration equal to:
2/3 × quarter-note duration
At 120 BPM:
Quarter note:
500 ms
Quarter-note triplet:
500 × 2/3 = 333.33 ms
For an eighth-note triplet:
Eighth note:
250 ms
Eighth-note triplet:
250 × 2/3 = 166.67 ms
This distinction is important because triplets are not simply another power-of-two subdivision like eighth and sixteenth notes.
Note Duration Chart at 120 BPM
Assuming the quarter note is the beat:
| Note | Beats | Standard duration |
|---|---|---|
| Whole | 4 | 2,000 ms |
| Half | 2 | 1,000 ms |
| Quarter | 1 | 500 ms |
| Eighth | 1/2 | 250 ms |
| Sixteenth | 1/4 | 125 ms |
| Thirty-second | 1/8 | 62.5 ms |
Common variations:
| Note | Duration |
|---|---|
| Dotted whole | 3,000 ms |
| Dotted half | 1,500 ms |
| Dotted quarter | 750 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 375 ms |
| Quarter triplet | 333.33 ms |
| Eighth triplet | 166.67 ms |
| Sixteenth triplet | 83.33 ms |
These values follow directly from the reference quarter-note duration and the corresponding rhythmic multiplier.
How BPM Changes Note Duration
The note-value ratios stay the same when BPM changes, but their actual duration in seconds or milliseconds changes.
For example, at 120 BPM:
Quarter = 500 ms
At 60 BPM:
Quarter = 1,000 ms
At 240 BPM:
Quarter = 250 ms
Every other note value changes proportionally.
At 120 BPM:
Eighth = 250 ms
At 60 BPM:
Eighth = 500 ms
At 240 BPM:
Eighth = 125 ms
So a slower tempo stretches every note duration, while a faster tempo compresses every note duration.
Note Duration at 80 BPM
At 80 BPM, one quarter-note beat lasts:
60,000 ÷ 80 = 750 ms
Therefore:
- Whole = 3,000 ms
- Half = 1,500 ms
- Quarter = 750 ms
- Eighth = 375 ms
- Sixteenth = 187.5 ms
- Thirty-second = 93.75 ms
The ratios between note values remain unchanged; only their absolute duration changes.
Note Duration at 100 BPM
At 100 BPM:
60,000 ÷ 100 = 600 ms
Therefore:
- Whole = 2,400 ms
- Half = 1,200 ms
- Quarter = 600 ms
- Eighth = 300 ms
- Sixteenth = 150 ms
- Thirty-second = 75 ms
Note Duration at 120 BPM
120 BPM is a particularly convenient reference because:
Quarter = 500 ms
So:
- Whole = 2,000 ms
- Half = 1,000 ms
- Quarter = 500 ms
- Eighth = 250 ms
- Sixteenth = 125 ms
- Thirty-second = 62.5 ms
This makes 120 BPM useful for quickly understanding the relationship between BPM and rhythmic subdivisions.
Note Duration at 140 BPM
At 140 BPM:
60,000 ÷ 140 = 428.57 ms
Therefore:
- Whole = 1,714.29 ms
- Half = 857.14 ms
- Quarter = 428.57 ms
- Eighth = 214.29 ms
- Sixteenth = 107.14 ms
- Thirty-second = 53.57 ms
How Many Beats Does Each Note Get?
When the quarter note is the beat:
| Note | Beats |
|---|---|
| Whole note | 4 |
| Half note | 2 |
| Quarter note | 1 |
| Eighth note | 1/2 |
| Sixteenth note | 1/4 |
| Thirty-second note | 1/8 |
So:
- Four quarter notes = one whole note
- Two half notes = one whole note
- Two eighth notes = one quarter note
- Four sixteenth notes = one quarter note
- Eight eighth notes = one whole note
Your uploaded query data specifically contains related searches such as “4 quarter notes,” “three quarter note,” “what note has 4 beats,” and “how many beats in an eighth note.”
Does the Time Signature Change Note Duration?
The time signature matters because it identifies which note value represents the beat in that meter.
For example, in 4/4, the quarter note is conventionally the beat.
In 6/8, the written meter is organized around eighth-note units, although the musical pulse is often felt in two groups of three eighth notes. Therefore, you should not assume that every BPM value always means a quarter note receives the beat.
This is an important limitation when converting BPM directly into note duration.
The lower number of a time signature identifies the note-value denominator, while the upper number indicates how many of those units are represented in the measure.
So a note-duration calculation should always establish what note value the BPM is referencing before applying the formula.
BPM Note Duration vs Beat Duration
These two concepts are related but not identical.
BPM Beat Duration
This asks:
How long does the reference beat last?
For a quarter-note beat at 120 BPM:
500 ms
See BPM Beat Duration.
BPM Note Duration
This asks:
How long does a particular note value last?
At 120 BPM:
- Quarter = 500 ms
- Eighth = 250 ms
- Sixteenth = 125 ms
- Half = 1,000 ms
This page therefore expands the basic beat-duration calculation into the musical note-value system.
BPM Note Duration and Milliseconds
Musicians and producers often need note lengths in milliseconds rather than seconds.
The base conversion is:
Quarter-note duration = 60,000 ÷ BPM
Then apply the note multiplier.
For example, at 128 BPM:
60,000 ÷ 128 = 468.75 ms
So:
- Quarter = 468.75 ms
- Eighth = 234.375 ms
- Sixteenth = 117.1875 ms
- Half = 937.5 ms
- Whole = 1,875 ms
For direct BPM-to-millisecond conversion, use BPM to Milliseconds.
Why Note Duration Matters in Music Production
Exact note durations can be useful when synchronizing musical and audio events to a project tempo.
For example, note-based timing can be used when working with:
- rhythmic delays
- synchronized effects
- samples
- loops
- MIDI patterns
- sequencer grids
- rhythmic automation
- beat-based editing
A delay set to an eighth-note value, for example, should be calculated from the current tempo rather than using the same millisecond value at every BPM.
That is why BPM-to-note-duration conversion is useful beyond music theory.
Simple BPM Note Duration Formula
If the quarter note is the reference beat:
Quarter note:
60 ÷ BPM
in seconds.
Or:
60,000 ÷ BPM
in milliseconds.
Then:
Whole = Quarter × 4
Half = Quarter × 2
Quarter = Quarter × 1
Eighth = Quarter × 1/2
Sixteenth = Quarter × 1/4
Thirty-second = Quarter × 1/8
For dotted notes:
Dotted duration = Standard duration × 1.5
For a triplet:
Triplet duration = Standard duration × 2/3
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a quarter note at 120 BPM?
If the quarter note is the beat, a quarter note at 120 BPM lasts 500 milliseconds, or 0.5 seconds.
How long is an eighth note at 120 BPM?
An eighth note is half of a quarter-note beat, so at 120 BPM it lasts 250 milliseconds.
How long is a sixteenth note at 120 BPM?
A sixteenth note lasts one-quarter of a quarter-note beat, so at 120 BPM it lasts 125 milliseconds.
How long is a half note at 120 BPM?
A half note lasts two quarter-note beats, so at 120 BPM it lasts 1,000 milliseconds, or 1 second.
How long is a whole note at 120 BPM?
Assuming the quarter note is the beat, a whole note contains four quarter-note beats. At 120 BPM:
500 × 4 = 2,000 ms
So a whole note lasts 2 seconds.
How many beats is an eighth note?
When the quarter note is the beat, an eighth note equals half a beat.
How many beats is a whole note?
When the quarter note is the beat, a whole note equals four beats.
How many beats is a half note?
When the quarter note is the beat, a half note equals two beats.
What is the duration of a dotted quarter note at 120 BPM?
A quarter note at 120 BPM lasts 500 ms.
A dot adds half its duration:
500 × 1.5 = 750 ms
So a dotted quarter lasts 750 milliseconds.
What is a triplet in BPM timing?
A triplet divides the time normally occupied by two notes of the same value into three equal notes. Each triplet note therefore has a duration of 2/3 of the corresponding straight note value.
Does BPM always mean the quarter note?
No. You need to know which note value represents the reference beat. This becomes particularly important outside simple quarter-note-based meters.
What is the formula for note duration?
When the quarter note is the reference beat:
Note duration = (60 ÷ BPM) × note-value multiplier
In milliseconds:
Note duration = (60,000 ÷ BPM) × note-value multiplier
Quick Reference
At 120 BPM, assuming the quarter note receives the beat:
Whole: 2,000 ms
Half: 1,000 ms
Quarter: 500 ms
Eighth: 250 ms
Sixteenth: 125 ms
Thirty-second: 62.5 ms
For dotted notes, multiply the standard duration by 1.5.
For triplets, multiply the corresponding straight value by 2/3.
The key is to establish the reference beat first, calculate its duration from BPM, and then scale the duration according to the desired note value.
If you need a direct tempo calculation, use the BPM Calculator. For the underlying beat-length calculation, see BPM Beat Duration.