How is David's piano important in the novel, The Dying Animal?

As a way to help himself get over Consuela, David distracts himself by taking piano lessons, expanding on the skills he already has. Part of this is just occupational therapy, a way to distract himself by focusing his mind on a task that demands attention. However, it is a physical skill which is still an aesthetic one; it requires an appreciation and understanding of art and the artistic process. David enjoys learning new pieces of music because they allow him to get inside the composers’ heads and figure out what it must have been like to write the music they wrote. This appeals to him as a cultural critic and music lover, but it also reminds him, in an inadvertent way, of Consuela, since he used to play pieces for her when she would come over. Like paintings, music is a form of artistic expression that conveys feelings, and feelings, for David, are intimately tied to memories of Consuela. He even admits to masturbating frequently before and after playing, jumping from the sensual to the aesthetic and back again. Consuela, after all, was a combination of both.