The electronic age has finally come to the humble piano accordion.
Bruce Collier of Tauranga has been playing his electronic piano accordion for the last five years.

Bruce Collier has the sounds of a complete orchestra on his electric piano accordion. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

'The difference between an electronic piano accordion and a standard one is the availability of musical sounds,” says Bruce.
'I now have the sounds from a complete orchestra. I can also download sounds from an electronic organ so I play two sets of sounds at the same time.”
He bought his piano accordion, made in Italy, from a local importer. At the time, it was the first one of its kind in the country, but several others have been imported since.
Bruce started playing the piano accordion when he was 17 years old. He played professionally and taught both piano and piano accordion. He has been playing for 50 years and still entertains at a variety of venues around Tauranga including the RSA and Senior Citizens Club.
Teaching the piano accordion to students also keeps Bruce busy as there always seem to be plenty who want to learn.
'I think the piano accordion is becoming a lot more popular now, as people are looking for different sorts of music instead of just guitars. New Zealand is driven by rugby and ironman contests, but in other countries music plays a larger part in daily lives.”