Pianist Jeremy Denk on how practice makes perfect

"That's a very good cheese, you know?" said Jeremy Denk. "You could have a more French cheese. But then, you know, sometimes you want a good old German cheese, you know?"

Why is this man at the piano talking about cheese? Because the classical pianist is trying to put his finger on classical music, and he knows that means more than putting his fingers on the keys.

Denk, an award-winning pianist, is the author of "Every Good Boy Does Fine" (Random House), a performer's love song to the craft of the thing piano students usually hate: practice.