How to Cut 16 Bars (or 32) for a Musical Audition

The audition notice says “Please prepare 16 bars of a song in the style of the show.” You have the song. You love the song. You open the sheet music, start counting at the top, and discover that the first 16 bars get you through a quiet verse and stop in the middle of a sentence, a full minute before anything interesting happens.

That is where many cuts go wrong. The singer either sings the boring bit because it’s first, or starts somewhere random and leaves the pianist to work out where they are.

The short version: find the shape of the song before you count anything. Pick the stretch that builds to the moment you sing best, usually near the end. Count bars from the first full bar, not the pickup. Give yourself a short intro and an ending that sounds finished. Then mark a clean copy so a stranger can play it cold, and rehearse the cut as if it were the whole song.

Read the song’s shape before you count

A cut is easier to choose when you know how the song is built. Many show tunes and standards use what musicians call the 32-bar form: four sections of eight bars, laid out AABA. The two A sections share a melody, the B section, called the bridge, goes somewhere new, and the last A comes home. “Over the Rainbow” and “Blue Skies” are classic examples.

Many theater songs also have a verse before that, a slower, talkier introduction that sets up the situation. Verses are lovely in a show and usually not the strongest choice in an audition, because they’re built to wait for the main tune.

So before you pick up a pencil, play a recording with the score open and mark each section in the margin: verse, A, A, B, A, and any extra tag at the end. Contemporary songs won’t fit AABA neatly. They might be verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, final chorus. The labels change, but the question is the same: where does this song build, and where does it pay off?

Choose the 16 bars that show what you do best

A very common mistake is starting at the top. Dummies’ guide to the singing audition cut calls it the biggest one: assuming you can “start at the beginning and just go until the end.” Its suggestion is that successful cuts are often the last 16 bars, or run from the bridge to the end.

That fits the AABA shape. If you start at the bridge, you get eight bars of contrast and eight bars of the final A, the payoff, in exactly 16. For a 32-bar cut, sing the whole AABA chorus, or, if the song repeats the chorus, start at the bridge of the first chorus and stop after the second A of the next one (B and A, then A and A: four eight-bar sections, 32 bars).

But don’t treat “the end” as a rule. The guide at Ensemble Schools puts it well: rather than defaulting to the opening, it’s smarter “to count out your most impressive and versatile bars.” Ask three questions of any stretch you’re considering:

• Does it make sense on its own, as a complete thought, to someone who has never heard the song?
• Does it build, so the panel sees you go somewhere, not just hold one color?
• Does it show the range and the acting the role needs, in your strongest part of the voice?

If a stretch answers yes to all three, it’s your cut, even if it’s not the textbook choice.

How to count the bars (and what to do with a pickup)

A bar, or measure, is simply the music between two bar lines. Counting them sounds easy until the phrase you want to start on begins a beat or two before the bar line. Those early notes are a pickup, and they usually aren’t counted toward the 16. As Wikipedia’s entry on the anacrusis explains, the first bar after the pickup is bar number one.

So here’s the method:

1. Find the first full bar of your cut and write a small 1 above it.
2. Count each bar line from there, numbering lightly in pencil.
3. If you’re singing a pickup into bar 1, include those notes in your bracket, but don’t count them.
4. Count repeats and first or second endings as you would actually sing them, not as they look on the page.
5. Stop at 16 and look at where you are.

That last step is where the real decisions happen. Bar 16 doesn’t always land on a satisfying ending. The phrase might finish in bar 17, or the last note might be held into bar 18.

Does 16 bars mean exactly 16?

Not always, and it depends on the room. Ensemble Schools says a cut that runs a few bars off is fine, and tells you not to sweat it. Ending on a finished phrase usually matters more than hitting the count exactly. Some calls may be stricter, so if you’re not sure, follow the casting notice to the letter. Director Bob Rizzo, speaking to Dance Spirit, put it simply: “The most important thing is to pay attention to the casting notice.”

A good compromise: finish the phrase you’re in, then stop. Avoid adding a second phrase just to reach a high note.

Give it a beginning and an ending

Your cut needs a way in and a way out, because the pianist is starting in the middle of a song they may be sight-reading.

The intro. The simplest is a “bell tone,” your starting note, or a short chord, played before you come in. A longer option is to have the pianist play the last bar or two before your cut as an intro. Decide which you want; you’ll write it on the music later. Thomas Griep, a Los Angeles pianist and conductor, advises singers to have their music “marked clearly where you want to start and stop,” because those moments are your first and last impression.

The ending. If your cut stops before the song does, the last chord may sound unfinished. A common approach is for the pianist to add a short final chord, often called a button. Write “end here” and, if needed, the chord you want, so the song sounds like it was meant to stop. Avoid stopping in the middle of a sentence. The panel hears the lyric, not just the notes.

Before you mark anything, sing your cut from intro to button with a timer at your real tempo. Dummies notes you can count the measures or assume you have about 30 seconds to sing; a slow ballad will run longer, a fast number shorter.

Mark one clean copy for each cut

The pianist will glance at your page for a few seconds before you sing. Everything they need has to be obvious in that glance. Lawrence University’s notes on preparing music for your accompanist are a good model: erase markings the pianist doesn’t need, and keep “breath marks, tempo changes and cuts” clearly marked. Copies must be complete, with every piano note on the page, not cut off by the edge of the copier.

• Draw a bracket at the start of your cut and another at the end, through both the vocal line and the piano part.
• Write “START” and “END” in plain words next to the brackets, and the intro you want.
• Cross out with a single clean line, or cover, the music you aren’t singing.
• If the cut starts partway through, write the tempo, key, and time signature at the start, because the pianist won’t see the top of the song.
• Highlight any tempo change, held note, or slowdown inside the cut.

Keep one copy for each length. If your 16-bar and 32-bar cuts end in different places, two endings on one page invite the pianist to stop at the wrong one. Our guide to building a musical theater audition book covers how to lay out the binder so both are easy to find.

One more detail: have the music in the key you sing it in. The Dance Spirit piece warns that the accompanist may not transpose on the spot. If you sing it lower than written, get a printed copy in your key.

Tell the pianist the tempo, then trust them

In the room, you’ll have a few seconds at the piano. Show the pianist your start, your ending, and anything unusual, then give the tempo. Griep’s advice is to sing a little of the song quietly so the pianist hears both the speed and the feel. A few bars of the melody at the right pace tell them more than any number on the page.

Remember who you’re talking to. Griep notes that it is not unusual for a pianist to play more than 400 songs in a day. Short, clear, friendly instructions are a gift. If the tempo starts a little off, our advice is to adjust with your singing rather than snapping or conducting at the piano.

And know the song well enough to survive a mistake. John MacInnis, also speaking to Dance Spirit, advised singers to “Sing a song you know by heart,” so that if the accompanist slips, you can keep going. Directors occasionally ask for more of the song, too, so learn all of it, not just your 16 bars.

Rehearse the cut as its own piece

A cut is a short scene with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The character needs a reason to start singing in bar 1, even though in the full song they’ve been singing for a minute already. Before you rehearse it musically, speak the lyric of your 16 bars as a monologue. What just happened? Who are you singing to? What do you want by the last word?

Then rehearse it starting cold, from the intro, many times. Your body needs to learn that this is where the song begins, or you’ll drift back toward the opening you’ve heard on the cast album. Practice starting from silence, the way you will in the room.

Many musical auditions also include sides, so prepare the acting half of the call with the same care. Offbook helps there: upload the sides and choose your role; realistic voices read the other characters, and Offbook listens while you say your lines and plays the next cue when you finish. If you’re still learning the words, our free first-letter memorizer turns your lines into first-letter cues.

A cutting checklist for the night before

1. Reread the casting notice for the length, style, and any songs to avoid.
2. Mark the song’s sections (verse, A, B, chorus) and find where it builds.
3. Choose a stretch that stands on its own and shows your best singing.
4. Count from the first full bar, leaving any pickup out of the count.
5. Finish the phrase you’re in, and plan your intro and your button.
6. Time it at your real tempo.
7. Mark one clean copy, with brackets, START and END, and the tempo.
8. Speak the lyric as a monologue, then rehearse the cut from a cold start.

Questions actors ask

How long is 16 bars in seconds?

Roughly 30 seconds is a common guide, but it depends on tempo and time signature. A slow ballad in 4/4 can run much longer than a quick uptempo. Time your own cut at the speed you’ll sing it, and if the notice gives a time limit, that’s the number to fit.

Can I start my cut on a pickup?

Yes. Include the pickup notes inside your start bracket so the pianist knows where you come in, but start counting your bars from the first full bar after it.

What if they ask for 8 bars or 32 bars instead?

Have a 32-bar cut marked as well as your 16, so you’re ready for both. If you’re asked for 8 on the day, the last eight bars of your 16 often work, if your 16 ends on the payoff. Practice that shorter version at home so it isn’t a surprise.

Should I cut the song differently for every audition?

Not usually. One well-prepared 16-bar cut and one 32-bar cut per song will cover many calls. Change the cut only when a notice asks for something specific, such as a ballad section or a particular length.