Nervous yet?

We rehearsed on the Mandalay Bay stage here in Las Vegas with full lights and video for the past two days. I think Yanni will tweak the show right up until the first notes are struck. He has a tremendous amount of time, money and energy invested in this tour and wants the show to be jaw-droppingly perfect in every aspect.

The Mandalay Bay Events center holds around nine thousand people. This will be my largest audience ever, and since I set the groove on the very first song, there will be no room for nerves. Yanni offered me a bit of confidence boosting assurance last night. I really appreciated his words, "you look great, you sound great, just relax and have fun."

Speaking of the look, Linda Evans picked out the clothes I'll be wearing. She had Jennifer, whose in charge of wardrobe, try several different fabrics and colors before they settled on a silvery-gray with a slight sheen that picks up the stage lighting. It was custom tailored into the best fitting shirt I've ever worn.

Several people have written and mentioned that this will be your the first time to see a hammer dulcimer. I also noticed on the Yanni message board that there might be confusion regarding the difference between a lap dulcimer, a fretted instrument which is strummed, and a hammer dulcimer which is struck. There is actually no relation between the two other than the word dulcimer which is from the latin "dulci" for sweet, and "mer" for music. There were quite a few instruments called dulcimers and the word is even translated into modern bibles. It is however a generic reference to instruments that play "sweet music" rather than to a specific instrument. The modern hammer dulcimer is a variation on struck harps found in middle and far eastern cultures dating back thousands of years.

Some of you who've listened to the CD samples on my web site have asked if I'm actually bending the notes as I play. I do this by pushing down on the string on the opposite side of the bridge and then quickly getting back to business with both hands.

I'm getting quite a bit of email from Yanni fans these days and it has been great getting to know you. I do my best to answer everyone but sometimes I get behind. Some of your questions I'll answer here so keep checking back. A few of the folks I've heard from lately include Tami, Ken, Faythe, Chris, Mary, Derek, Sharon, Lorna, Christy, Sajjad, Aaron, Helen and Jonathan. ¶ 3:21 PM