Song structure builder
Start from a common song form, then change sections, bar counts and tempo. You see where each part starts and how long the whole song runs — handy for setlists and for telling the band what comes next.
Bars, beats and song length
A bar of 4/4 is four beats. At 120 BPM a beat is half a second, so a bar is two seconds and an 8-bar verse is 16 seconds. Most sections are 4, 8 or 16 bars long; the 12-bar blues is the famous exception.
See the song structure templates guide for what each section does and when to break the rules.
Write it with the whole band
Cobander is free songwriting and recording software that keeps your band on the same song: everyone records and writes from their own computer through the folder you already share, with chords, lyrics and structure on one timeline — and the band levels up as you go.
Free — the whole app, every song, forever. Windows and Mac. More about Cobander.
Questions
How is the song length worked out?
Bars × beats per bar × 60 ÷ BPM, added up across the sections.
Can I use odd time signatures?
Yes. Set beats per bar to 3 for 3/4, 6 for 6/8 counted in eighths, and so on.
Does it save my song?
No — copy the text when you are done. In the Cobander app, the structure is saved in the song with the recordings.