John Jennings is a "musicians' musician"--a man who can play, sing, write and produce and is equally experienced on the stage and in the studio. The fruit of his efforts over the span of two decades is an arm full of Grammy awards, several hit records and a resume that includes work with the Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, John Gorka, Iris DeMent, Beausoleil and, of course, his regular gig with Mary Chapin Carpenter. (That was Jennings playing the red Gibson Blueshawk on Carpenter's performance at the Super Bowl in January.) What's even cooler is that Jennings is highly articulate and insightful. The Amplifier took advantage of this and tapped a wealth of practical information from the fountain of knowledge that is John Jennings'. "To be brief, I am what I am. That's what sets me apart," Jennings said modestly when asked to attribute his success. "To be *not* brief, I love good songs, and I want to play them well. This has everything to do with listening to the song, making sure that I really understand it on some level, and making the best contribution that I can. I am willing to do as much or as little as is required to make a song succeed. Sometimes, that involves putting everything and the kitchen sink on tape. Sometimes, it involves doing...well, nothing! You have to have the good sense and the discipline to do only what you need to do to make the song go. Any more and it becomes an ego exercise. There are enough hot pickers out there that I needn't waste anyone's time trying to prove that I can keep up with them. Trust me, I can't! I gave up on the idea of being a 'guitar hero' quite a while back." Having grown out of the "guitar hero" phase, Jennings says he concentrates on simply improving. "I am not sure if I have a discernible 'style,' and am quite surprised when other guitarists say they try to play 'like' me," Jennings said. "I just do what I do as best I can. I would like to think that I continue to listen, and to learn. There's always something new to add to your sonic 'palette.'" Broad "palette" in place, Jennings focuses on using the correct sonic brushstrokes to fit the song. "Presuming that you want me to put on my 'producer' hat, the first step is to make sure that I really want to be involved with the project," Jennings said. "When I really care about something, I tend to do better work. The second step is to make sure that my services are needed. There have been several times when I have suggested to people that they were doing just fine without me. Once steps one and two have been successfully negotiated, the rest of the process is pretty subjective. It is obviously critical to listen to the wishes of the artist. Producers are, above all, facilitators. Beyond that, selecting the proper parts is a matter of getting as intimate with the song as you can, responding, and meaning everything you play. If you only play one note, make sure you play all of it! According to Jennings, when you want to play "all" of the note, it helps to have the right gear. "Getting a great tone in the studio starts with having instruments that sound great!" Jennings said, who plays a variety of Gibsons, including a Blueshawk and custom 12-string Nighthawk. "'Sounds great' is a strictly subjective term. In my world, 'good' equals 'useful.' For better or worse, that covers just about everything! Figuring out when to use what is half the battle. I love working in the studio because it is a controlled environment. You are not subject to the variables that you have to deal with in a live setting and you have time for reflection. If you don't like the way something sounds, you can move it, or try a different mic on it, or just play it again. You have the time to pay attention to detail that you might not have elsewhere. For electric guitars: if you have more than one speaker, put different mics on several of them. you might be surprised at the variation in sounds. Try using several different mics, and try various combinations of mics. Put up a 'room' mic to add some of the natural ambiance to your sound. If you have enough tracks, try to use one for each microphone. that way, you have the most flexibility when you mix. If you end up with a great performance, but the sound doesn't quite float your boat, you can 'side-chain' the signal through yet another amp/mic configuration. you can also try recording direct. "I like to record acoustic guitars in stereo. You have to listen to the instrument to find out the best mic placement, but a fairly safe rule of thumb is one microphone aimed (roughly) at the bridge and one mic aimed at a point between the 12th and 15th frets." Jennings says that consistency works best for a live setup. "I tend to set my controls the same every night, and hope for the best," Jennings said. "I don't make any concessions to rooms regarding tone or effects, with one exception: in a really 'live' room (for example, the Houston Astrodome), really fast passages tend to turn into mush. in those places, I try to keep the 'blazing' stuff to a minimum. I also rely completely on the expertise of Chuck Peters, our Front-Of-House Engineer, to make the most of what I give him to work with." With Carpenter, Jennings has also had the opportunity to play in several television studios. "Playing in a television studio is much the same as any other gig," Jennings said. "You take the same things into consideration that you would for any venue: room ambiance, stage size, etc. One very basic difference is that you normally get a chance to hear what you're going to sound like on the air. There's always a run through, and engineers almost always roll tape. Listen to the playback, and make whatever adjustments you think are necessary. Another key difference is that there is often no audience in the television studio. When that is the case, you have to generate most of your own energy. Jennings has little trouble generating energy about his collection of Gibson guitars. "I play gibson guitars because I like them so much. No, really! They are swell! You should all rush out and buy as many as you can carry!" Jennings quipped, before taking on a more serious tone. "I find them particularly useful when I tour with Mary Chapin. She plays Rickenbackers and Duke Levine plays Fenders and a Gretsch Duo-Jet. Our Front-Of-House Engineer has a much easier time separating our sounds from one another. The guitars are all from different families. "The Blueshawk is near and dear to me, as I was asked to participate in the beta testing. It's a really impressive guitar. No details were left unattended to. with the Varitone, the coil tap, and the three-position switch, the tonal possibilities are pretty amazing. The guitar is a real 'pro' instrument, and you get a lot of 'bang' for your buck. I love the Chet Atkins. It just about plays itself, and it has such a marvelously distinctive sound. It is an exquisite instrument. I 'want' to play it all the time, and I can think of no higher compliment. "What of the [custom-made, one-of-a-kind] Nighthawk 12-string, you ask? Well, it's BAD! When are you going into production? It's the perfect ax for anyone who would like a bit of a change from the 'Rick' 12-string sound. The tone seems to be a good bit 'meatier' than other 12-string electrics, and the top is about as flamed-out as they come! When do you go into production? my only complaint is that they are a bit 'headstock-heavy.' One does get used to it. While you're at it, can you make me a 2-pickup model?" Jennings, who has his own web site says that computer technology is also becoming an important tool to musicians. "Computers are really great for storing and moving information, and it is getting easier to move huge amounts of data fairly quickly," Jennings said. "Anyone who has ever done any digital music editing knows that the amount of storage space required for a CD's worth of program is not that far removed from that found on many new computers, say, a couple of gigabytes. this means that you could 'record' a new CD into your computer, and spit it out onto a recordable CD. "What does this mean? Well, it means that musicians are not far terribly away from being able to distribute music directly to the consumer. The most revolutionary aspect of this possibility that artists will finally have the means to completely control the content of what they produce, and have the means to distribute that work on a global basis. That's really something!"