diff --git a/cli/src/main.rs b/cli/src/main.rs
index 548eee66..1c132756 100644
--- a/cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/cli/src/main.rs
@@ -881,7 +881,11 @@ fn phrase_chunks(
         .iter()
         .map(|b| b.start_tick)
         .collect();
-    let segments = split::bar_segments(&score.master_bars, &cuts);
+    // Cap over-long phrases so curation never sees a 30-bar blob (#76).
+    let segments = split::cap_segment_bars(
+        &split::bar_segments(&score.master_bars, &cuts),
+        split::MAX_PHRASE_BARS,
+    );
     if segments.is_empty() {
         return Err(CliError::Split("score has no bars to split".to_owned()));
     }
diff --git a/core/src/split.rs b/core/src/split.rs
index 426cb67a..3ccf6e75 100644
--- a/core/src/split.rs
+++ b/core/src/split.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ use std::ops::Range;
 
 use crate::score::MasterBar;
 
+/// Default upper bound, in bars, on a single phrase segment.
+///
+/// Segments longer than this are subdivided by [`cap_segment_bars`] so curation
+/// never faces a 30-bar blob spanning several rhythmic patterns (#76).
+/// Deliberately generous: it splits only clearly over-long phrases, leaving
+/// ordinary 4–16-bar ones whole — a sensible default, not a tuned constant.
+pub const MAX_PHRASE_BARS: usize = 16;
+
 /// Partitions `master_bars` into contiguous bar ranges cut at `cut_ticks`.
 ///
 /// Each cut tick is snapped to the bar that contains it; a cut at bar 0 (or the
@@ -40,6 +48,35 @@ pub fn bar_segments(master_bars: &[MasterBar], cut_ticks: &[u32]) -> Vec<Range<u
         .collect()
 }
 
+/// Subdivides any segment spanning more than `max_bars` bars into consecutive
+/// sub-ranges of at most `max_bars` bars each, leaving shorter segments intact.
+///
+/// `max_bars == 0` disables the cap. Like [`bar_segments`] the result is sorted,
+/// non-overlapping, and covers exactly the input bars: it only adds cuts, so a
+/// phrase the detector left over-long becomes several measurable sub-phrases
+/// (#76) instead of one blob. The trailing sub-range carries the remainder.
+#[must_use]
+pub fn cap_segment_bars(segments: &[Range<usize>], max_bars: usize) -> Vec<Range<usize>> {
+    if max_bars == 0 {
+        return segments.to_vec();
+    }
+    let mut out: Vec<Range<usize>> = Vec::with_capacity(segments.len());
+    for seg in segments {
+        let mut start = seg.start;
+        // Emit full cap-sized blocks while more than a cap remains, so the final
+        // piece is the leftover (1..=max_bars bars), never an empty range.
+        while seg.end.saturating_sub(start) > max_bars {
+            let next = start.saturating_add(max_bars);
+            out.push(start..next);
+            start = next;
+        }
+        if start < seg.end {
+            out.push(start..seg.end);
+        }
+    }
+    out
+}
+
 /// Index of the bar whose half-open tick range contains `tick`.
 fn bar_containing(master_bars: &[MasterBar], tick: u32) -> Option<usize> {
     master_bars
@@ -49,9 +86,13 @@ fn bar_containing(master_bars: &[MasterBar], tick: u32) -> Option<usize> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    #![allow(clippy::expect_used, clippy::arithmetic_side_effects)]
+    #![allow(
+        clippy::expect_used,
+        clippy::arithmetic_side_effects,
+        clippy::single_range_in_vec_init
+    )]
 
-    use super::bar_segments;
+    use super::{bar_segments, cap_segment_bars};
     use crate::event::{Tempo, Ticks, TimeSignature};
     use crate::score::{MasterBar, RepeatMarker};
     use crate::slice::TickRange;
@@ -99,4 +140,33 @@ mod tests {
     fn no_bars_yield_no_segments() {
         assert!(bar_segments(&[], &[1920]).is_empty());
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cap_zero_leaves_segments_unchanged() {
+        assert_eq!(cap_segment_bars(&[0..30], 0), vec![0..30]);
+        assert_eq!(cap_segment_bars(&[0..4, 4..9], 0), vec![0..4, 4..9]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn segments_within_the_cap_are_kept_whole() {
+        assert_eq!(cap_segment_bars(&[0..16], 16), vec![0..16]); // == cap
+        assert_eq!(cap_segment_bars(&[0..5], 16), vec![0..5]); // < cap
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn over_long_segments_split_into_cap_blocks_plus_remainder() {
+        assert_eq!(cap_segment_bars(&[0..30], 16), vec![0..16, 16..30]);
+        // Exact multiple → even blocks, no stray empty range.
+        assert_eq!(cap_segment_bars(&[0..32], 16), vec![0..16, 16..32]);
+        // A non-zero offset is preserved as the sub-ranges advance.
+        assert_eq!(cap_segment_bars(&[4..40], 16), vec![4..20, 20..36, 36..40]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn caps_each_segment_independently() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            cap_segment_bars(&[0..4, 4..40], 16),
+            vec![0..4, 4..20, 20..36, 36..40]
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/web/src/lib.rs b/web/src/lib.rs
index eec0a676..7b8b1b40 100644
--- a/web/src/lib.rs
+++ b/web/src/lib.rs
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ use griff_core::score::{
     AtomEvent, EventGroup, EventGroupKind, LossReport, MasterBar, RepeatMarker, Score, Track, Voice,
 };
 use griff_core::slice::{extract_bars, TickRange};
-use griff_core::split::bar_segments;
+use griff_core::split::{bar_segments, cap_segment_bars, MAX_PHRASE_BARS};
 
 use griff_core::boundary::{self, BoundaryConfig};
 use griff_core::corpus::{
@@ -791,7 +791,8 @@ fn split_to_json(
         .iter()
         .map(|b| b.start_tick)
         .collect();
-    let segments = bar_segments(&score.master_bars, &cuts);
+    // Cap over-long phrases so curation never sees a 30-bar blob (#76).
+    let segments = cap_segment_bars(&bar_segments(&score.master_bars, &cuts), MAX_PHRASE_BARS);
     if segments.is_empty() {
         return "{\"error\":\"score has no bars to split\",\"chunks\":[]}".to_owned();
     }