Other arrangements of Nightswimming
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Night swim (C5)ming
de serves a qui et night.
The (G)pho to graph on the dash board,
(G)tak en years a go,
(C)turned a round back wards so the (Dsus)wind shield shows.
(G)Ev er y street light knew you.
re veals the pic (G)ture in re verse.
(C)Still, it’s so much clear er.
(G)I for got my shirt at the wa (G)ter’s edge.
The (Csus2)moon is low to night.
Night swim (Csus2)ming
de serves a qui et night.
I’m (C)not sure all these peo ple un der stand.
pin ing for the It’s (D)not like years a go, what if there were the (Csus2)fear of get (A)ting caught,
in or bit of (Dsus)reck less ness and wa ter.
They can not (D)see me na (G)ked.
These (Csus2)things, they (A)go a way,
re (Dsus)placed by ev ’ry day.
Night swim (Csus2)ming,
re mem ber ing that night.
Sep (C)tem ber’s com ing soon.
un der I’m pin ing for the It’s (D)not like years a And what if there were two (Csus2)fear of side (A)ting by
in or bit a (Dsus)round the fair est sun?
ter.
They That tight (D)for ev er (G)drum
could (Csus2)not de (A)scribe night swim
re (Dsus)placed by ev ’ry day.
(C)ming.
The (G)pho to graph re flects
(D)ev ’ry street light, a re mind er.
Night swim (C)ming
de (Dsus)serves a qui (D)et night,
de (Csus2)serves a qui (A)et night.
(G)pho to graph re flects
(D)ev ’ry street light, a re mind er.
Night swim (C)ming
de (Dsus)serves a qui (D)et night,
de (Csus2)serves a qui (A)et night.
Nightswimming — Classic Piano Sheet Music
19 people have learned this song
Read "Nightswimming" by R.E.M. in classic piano notation — both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of G. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 100 BPM.
This arrangement is a wonderful exercise in keeping your left hand steady while your right hand moves through some beautifully open chord voicings.
Your left hand plays an octave bass pattern throughout, so start by drilling that alone until it feels almost automatic — it needs to be your anchor, not something you're thinking about.
At 100 BPM the tempo is gentle, but watch the transitions between the sus chords: moving from Dsus4 to D and Csus2 to C requires small, precise finger adjustments, and rushing those changes is the most common stumble I see.
Practice the C–Csus2–D–Dsus4 cluster as its own loop, hands together, at about 70 BPM before bringing it up to speed.
Pay attention to your sustain pedal — this peaceful, flowing feel depends on clean pedal changes right on each new bass note, not before.
If you let pedal moments get sloppy, the harmonies blur into mud.
Once it clicks, this song will genuinely solidify your confidence with suspended chords and smooth voice leading, skills that transfer to dozens of other ballads.
Try other practice modes:
About “Nightswimming”
- Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "Nightswimming"?
- Yes — the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature G. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
- What key is "Nightswimming" by R.E.M. played in?
- Nightswimming is arranged in the key of G on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Nightswimming"?
- The arrangement plays at 100 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Nightswimming" easy to play on piano?
- This is a medium-difficulty arrangement. Most players can learn it within a few practice sessions using the speed control.
- Can I download sheet music for "Nightswimming"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Nightswimming"?
- "Nightswimming" was originally performed by R.E.M.. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "Nightswimming"?
- This arrangement uses 8 chords: A, C, Cpow, Csus2, D, Dpow, Dsus4, G.
- What other songs by R.E.M. can I play here?
- Try "EVERYBODY HURTS", "IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT", "Everybody Hurts". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
- Yes — "Nightswimming" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature G, time signature, beams, dynamics — everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
- What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
- Sheet Music is the "classic" view — the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
- Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
- Yes — slow the tempo from 100 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
- Why can I click a note in the score?
- Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
- Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
- Yes — Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.
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