Groove – Episode #75: Charles Berthoud

Charles Berthoud

By now, everyone is used to finding some of the most refreshing and newest musical talent on social media. YouTube has been an amazing place to discover the best and brightest bass players that the world has ever seen. For some, it’s a clip from a booth at NAMM, for others, it could be a stranger capturing a monstrous bass riff in a church band. Then, there is the whole world of creators. People who spend their time creating videos specifically for YouTube. They can be quirky, odd, and often hilarious.

This is the domain of Charles Berthoud. If you think that the electric bass is a niche, here are some of Charles’ YouTube stats: 589k subscribers and close to 46 million views of his incredible playing and charismatic personality. If you’re not subscribed to his channel, you do not know what you’re missing.

Already recognized as one of the masters of the two-handed tapping technique, Charles plays the bass like a piano, accompanying himself with multiple parts. A classically trained pianist and multi-instrumentalist, Charles uses contemporary guitar techniques to play astonishingly fast – almost flamenco-like passages – and has mastered his instrument through years and countless hours of practice.

Charles is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and was mentored by New England bass impresario, Jim Stinnett. That’s where Charles was introduced to the two-handed tapping technique that would come to define much of his own style. Before graduating from Berklee with the highest honors, Charles co-authored an instructional book, Two-Handed Tapping, with Stinnett.

Charles has three solo albums under his belt (New Age of Solo Bass, Don’t Look Back, and the soon-to-be released, Infinity).

His songs are beautiful, moving, and chart a new territory in bass playing.

Enjoy the conversation…

https://notreble-media.s3.amazonaws.com/groove/Groove_75_-_Charles_Berthoud.mp3

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  1. Jeferson

    Great interview