The Making of Night Music: Notes on the Piano

The piano is the book's apex predator, able to tackle any other instrument. Throughout the book, I describe the piano using language evocative of alligators, crocodiles, wolves, bears and killer whales. The most obvious description was that of the piano keys resembling crocodile teeth. The crocodile, as you may know, has the strongest bite force. Terrifying. I imagined that of the piano, playing Rachmaninov one minute and biting your head off the next.