The balcony tins

Original fiction extract.

We had put the empty biscuit tins on the balcony to dry after painting them. When the rain began, nobody remembered to bring them in. Each lid answered in a different voice: a bright ping, a hollow knock, a soft uneven chatter. The balcony had become a badly organised orchestra. My brother opened the door to collect the tins, then stopped to listen. For a minute we argued about which one sounded best. By the time we carried them inside, the new paint was spotted and the rain sounded disappointingly ordinary on the bare stone.

Choose one example from the extract and explain how the writer uses language to suggest the sound of the rain on the balcony. Use your own words in your explanation.