Glide guitar is a technique for playing electric guitar in which the player holds the vibrato bar and manipulates it while strumming, resulting in a wavering pitch. It was developed with and is usually associated with a Fender Jazzmaster or Jaguar-style vibrato system.[1] It was popularized by Irish musician Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine on the band's releases You Made Me Realise (1988)[1] and Isn't Anything (1988).[2] Shields often combined this technique with a reverse reverb effect from a Yamaha SPX90 unit or Alesis Midiverb II, and would also utilize nonstandard tuning systems.[3]
Shields explained that he "virtually invent[ed] my own way of playing. It didn't come about in any conscious way. ... It felt playful, but on a much stronger level."[1] The technique was later referenced in the title of the group's EP Glider (1990).[4]