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[fortepiano]

Usually the conference papers I have given have been twenty minutes long, but now I'll be giving a thirty-minute paper. I was using the rule of thumb that 8 pp. equals 20 minutes. So should my paper be roughly 12 pp. long (I will also be playing a very short musical example of about 15 sec.)? Of course I'll time it and practice it, but I wanted to have a general idea before I start cutting from 20 pages.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[baseballfan]

Hi Fortepiano,

I too am a musicologist, but also present at theory conferences, largely because of the 30 minute time constraints. I tend to make myself speak slowly and go with about 11-12 pages, depending on a) how many musical examples; and b) how much unwritten content is ad libbed. 

Hope this helps. Good luck!
Fan

[fortepiano]

Thanks, baseballfan! As it turns out, I'll probably end up playing three examples, for a total time of about 40" of music, so I think I'll go with 11 rather than 12 pp., which will also allow for a little ad libbing.