Art & music · Grades 9–12
Tempo and duration
Study guide for Grades 9 to 12: 2 worked examples and 2 practice questions. Tempo is measured in beats per minute (BPM). Find the total beats, then convert beats to seconds.
Rule and key idea
Tempo is measured in beats per minute (BPM). Find the total beats, then convert beats to seconds.
seconds = bars × beats per bar × 60 ÷ BPM
Worked examples
A piece in 3/4 time is played at 90 beats per minute, with one beat per quarter note. How many seconds do 14 bars last? Round to one decimal place if needed.
14 × 3 × 60 ÷ 90 = 28
28 s
A piece in 2/4 time is played at 96 beats per minute, with one beat per quarter note. How many seconds do 17 bars last? Round to one decimal place if needed.
17 × 2 × 60 ÷ 96 = 21.3
21.3 s
Try two questions
A piece in 2/4 time is played at 60 beats per minute, with one beat per quarter note. How many seconds do 6 bars last? Round to one decimal place if needed.
A piece in 2/4 time is played at 120 beats per minute, with one beat per quarter note. How many seconds do 19 bars last? Round to one decimal place if needed.
Answers and reasoning
Answers and marking notes
- 12 s
6 × 2 × 60 ÷ 60 = 12
- 19 s
19 × 2 × 60 ÷ 120 = 19
How this page was made: written for StudyBrix with AI assistance from our own templates. Answers and worked examples are checked by automated tests, and grade bands are approximate, not an official curriculum alignment. See the editorial policy for corrections. Editorial policy