For a lot of us, trying to learn the mind-melting fretboard acrobatics of the guitar world’s most technically advanced electric guitar players is nigh-on impossible. Be it Polyphia’s G.O.A.T., Guthrie Govan’s Fives or Petrucci’s Under A Glass Moon, try as we might, some songs are simply best left unlearned, for the sake of our own sanity.
For the fearless Charles Berthoud, however, it’s just another day in the office. In fact, he’s even gone one step further, for this plucky player hasn’t just learned said fretboard acrobatics – he’s learned them all on the bass guitar.
Berthoud, one of YouTube’s most preeminent bass players, has racked up over 700k subscribers on the social media platform, and made a name for himself by flexing his staggering four-, five-, and six-string skills.
His latest video continues his solid track record of bamboozling his viewers, and has one-upped himself with a video that sees him take on – and execute flawlessly – all three solos mentioned above.
Armed with his de-tuner-equipped four-string, Berthoud throws himself in the deep end and tackles Petrucci’s lead from Under A Glass Moon head on. “This is some ridiculous stuff,” he quips, before making the solo look far too easy thanks to his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it right-hand technique.
After an immaculate, six-string-equipped rendition of G.O.A.T.’s main riff, which has perplexed players since the day it came out, Berthoud turns his attention to Guthrie Govan’s Fives – a solo that he labels with the disclaimer, “This might be the hardest solo I’ve ever attempted.”
Nevertheless, Berthoud doesn’t even seem to break a sweat and, thanks to “10,000 hours of practice of the past four days”, once again makes light work of the two-hand-tapping exchanges and staggering scale runs.
“This is one of the most insane guitar solos I’ve ever seen,” he comments. “He’s so technical and fast but still plays really passionately, which is a great combination.”
During some post-solo reflection, the YouTuber adds, “I think Govan might’ve been the most difficult one, but that Petrucci solo was right up there as well.”
Words truly fail to describe Berthoud’s bass-playing powers. Insane. Ridiculous. Stupendous. Spectacular. Take your pick, they all apply.
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