Yanni

“I don't really like to explain my songs.”

“The good news is when you open up in Vegas, you have a lot of friends, because they all come over to see your opening night.”

“I don't like to define my music. To me, music is pure emotion. It's language that can communicate certain emotions and the rhythms cuts across genders, cultures and nationalities. All you need to do is close your eyes and feel those emotions.”

“Creativity is an inherent human quality of the highest order. When we create, we become more than the sum of our parts.”

“A simple life is good with me. I don't need a whole lot. For me, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, barefoot on a beach and I'm happy.”

“Actually, with 'Truth of Touch' I wasn't even intending on making an album. I was just having fun. I had about a six-month period of down time, and I'm not very good at sitting around. So I kind of started going into the studio and having fun with new core mendin sounds.”

“When you do music concerts at Taj Mahal and the Acropolis, you have to be careful about your performance being appropriate with the place that surrounds you. It has to be appropriate to the culture - it should fit the building behind you, the environment you are playing it in and the culture of that place.”

“Not being able to read and write music is not the same as being illiterate in speech and writing.”

“You accomplish what you want to accomplish. I just don't ever want to hurt anybody doing it.”

“With instrumental music, it is traditionally hard to get exposure.”

“While most of the music I write is instrumental, I love to use the human voice as another instrument.”

“If you are a professional, the speed with which you react to a potential problem separates the men from the boys.”

“When you hear 'Truth of Touch,' I believe you recognize that it is me; however it's not the typical Yanni album.”

“There is no gender to my music. There's no male or female voice, no trite lyrics or poetry. It's much more abstract, so it lives with you longer.”

“Music is art, and once you become an artist, you need to learn how to accept criticism.”

“I just would use any instrument known to man in any combination as long as it describes an emotion.”

“Truth is the number one element in whatever you do with music.”

“I am so happy that I didn't go to school and I didn't have anyone to tell me how to position my fingers on the piano correctly.”

“I love the road, and I love coming in contact with the fans. They talk to me and that's irreplaceable. But when I get tired, I head to the studio and I am in there for a long time.”

“And going into my studio at night, particularly at night when everybody's asleep, is just a total pleasure for me.”