Charles Berthoud is this month’s conversation on Groove – The No Treble Podcast.

You can listen the new episode right here: Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #75 – Charles Berthoud.

Who is 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 (who recently passed away). 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 (The 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…

What is Groove – The No Treble Podcast?

This is an ambitious effort. This will be a fascinating conversation. Our goal at Groove is to build the largest oral history of bass players. Why Groove? Most of the content about the bass revolves around gear, playing techniques, and more technical chatter. For us, bassists are creative artists with stories to tell. They are a force to be reckon with. These are the stories and conversation that we will capture. To create this oral history of why these artists chose the bass, what their creative lives are like, and where inspiration can be found.

Listen in: Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #75 – Charles Berthoud.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;).