What type of guitar do you play?

A Taylor 815, made of spruce and rosewood. It's got a jumbo body, and responds well to delicate touch. I picked it up several years ago, when I was emersed in fingerstyle guitar, composing for the instrument and transcribing traditional music. For my songwriting, I find it has rich, full sound, unique from other guitars.

On your new album "Dancing In The Rain" you're playing some electric guitar as well?

Yes. I found a Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitar last year, and couldn't resist. It's used, not top of the line, but it still sounds exceptional. So the new album has an acoustic sound, accentuated by electric riffs or lead guitar solos. The PRS worked really well...the album is like a #1 Hit, but with better songwriting, all original.

Who are some of your guitar influences?

The best talents are not on MTV, nor on the radio. I prefer real musicians. Here are a few:

John Williams
Julian Bream ( A true ambassador of the guitar, also see bio at wikipedia)
John Renbourn
Charlie Byrd
Pat Metheny
Duck Baker
Stephen Stills
Tommy Emmanuel

How do you achieve your distinct guitar style and sound?

Practice, technique, more practice. I also use some alternate guitar tunings, in songwriting and for solo guitar pieces. Here is a brief guide to some alternative guitar tunings:

E-A-D-F#-B-E : In the same intervals as those of a Renaissance lute, this tuning allows you to play such music directly from tablature.
E-B-E-G#-B-E : Open E.
D-G-D-G-B-D : Open G. Used for blues, folk, or slide guitar.
D-A-D-F#-A-D : Open D. Brilliantly used by Stephen Stills in rock, blues, and folk idioms.
C-G-C-G-C'-E' : Open C. Used in country blues and modern acoustic fingerstyle.
D-A-D-G-B-E' : Drop D.
E-A-D-G-C'-F' : All fourths tuning.
C-G-D-A'-E'-B' : All fifths tuning, like a mandolin or violin, with a remarkably wide range.
C-G-D-A-E-G : Similar to all fifths, but the most treble string is down from b to g.
D-A-D-G-A-D' : Used in acoustic fingerstyle, folk, celtic.

Have you won American Idol yet?

How funny! I have never seen the show, though no one has escaped the commercials for it. From what I can tell, here is a step by step guide to win American Idol:

• Watch MTV and get all your ideas from there.
• Imitate everyone else.
• Do not play an instrument.
• Do not write your own songs, but have a record company choose them for you.
• Be as unoriginal as possible.
• It's all about how you look, and has very little to do with music.