How to Use a Glider Guitar Capo

A capo saves you from having to learn new, complicated chords as you move up the guitar neck.

Learning to use the Glider guitar capo enables you to change keys quickly but still play open chords and use open strings as you would at the top of the neck. Developed by Greg Bennett, the Glider is a capo you can move easily up and down the fretboard by using a roller that fits on the back of your guitar neck. A capo is a device that presses down all the strings on a designated fret, allowing you to use open chord shapes to play at higher pitches and in different keys.

Instructions

1. Open the Glider capo by pulling the end cap outward. The straight bar on the capo has two metallic ends you can pull away to open the capo. The capo bends open easily because of the flexibility of the strings that join the two parts.

2. Place the capo around the neck of your guitar straight across any fret. Check to ensure sure the front black rubber bar runs parallel to the metallic fret marker on your guitar fretboard. Reconnect the cap to the straight side of the capo. The roller on the back of the capo should roughly fit the curvature on the back of your guitar neck.

3. Move the capo into the desired position using your thumb. Push the roller up or down the fretboard with your thumb to change the capo's position. If you are trying to learn a specific song, the tab you use should indicate which fret on which you should place the capo, but you can also experiment with playing different chords with the capo at different positions. For example, placing the capo on the second fret and playing a C chord would actually produce a D chord. Unlike some other capo models, the Glider doesn't require you to place it over the fret marker, which makes it easier to position on the fretboard.

4. Roll the capo up past the nut of the guitar to remove it. (The nut is the small bar that separates the neck of the guitar from the headstock.) If you slide the Glider up behind the nut, around the lower part of the headstock, the guitar will play normally. You can play guitar normally and then put a Glider on your strings at a second's notice with a quick flick of your thumb.

References

• Glider Capo
• Glider Capo: Close Up