Peter Bruce - Guest of Honour
by Pia Walker
B&F April 2020
One of the many pleasures of being your Editor is that I get to talk to so many people. Interviewing the Guests of Honour is a highlight, so travelling to Scone on a miserable day to hear a little bit about accordionist Peter Bruce, well-known MC of many a Perth Festival, was not an onerous task at all.
Peter was born in 1953 in Ardfern, Mid-Argyll as one of three brothers. One of them, Colin, lives in England and the other, Neil, in Ballinluig. They and their families are the only family Peter has, as he never married. Colin and Peter are the only brothers with an interest in music, with Colin playing piano. His father, Colin the cattleman, and mother Elizabeth encouraged Peter to learn to play by ear. His father played fiddle and was self-taught and his mother played the organ.
His musical career started when the family lived near Laggan Bridge, and at the age of six he was given a tiny red accordion by an uncle. His first performance was in Laggan Hall shortly thereafter. As he grew, so did his accordions and he is now the proud owner of a Gola.
In 1960 the whole family moved to Scone where Peter has lived ever since, except for the four years (1971 – 1975) he spent studying mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. He started lessons with Mickie Ainsworth, who Peter says was an inspiring teacher who made you want to do better. Mickie worked hard to undo the bad habits acquired by Peter from playing by ear. The second tune he was taught was Jaunting Along in the purple book, which accordionists of a certain age will remember. The story goes that Peter, who could not read music, practiced what was preached, and then came back the next week and played it wonderfully – in the wrong key!
As Mickie toured with the Powrie Band he wasn’t able to teach regularly, and Peter was therefore helped by others including Frank Thomson who at that time was working in Perth. When Frank moved to Aberdeen Peter started to go to Ian Anderson of Dunkeld. Here the tuition focused on playing classical music, which helped in developing technique.
Peter is mostly a solo musician but began playing with the Willie Simpson Band in 1970. He fondly remembers the 9pm – 2am gigs in the Reid Hall in Forfar. They are still gigging 48 years later, although the hours have changed.
He also played with button-box player Bobby Campbell, from whom he learnt all the popular tunes such as Ronnie Cooper’s Shetland compositions, and with the unique and entertaining Jim (Fiddler Broon). He has also played second box with the late Jimmy Lindsay (Glenalmond).
He prefers the village hall setting to the more formal setting when gigging. He does remember, however, the time he played with Ainsworth, Blue, Simpson and Brown at a house party near Dalkeith the day after he left school in 1971. The guests included The Queen, Prince Philip and Princess Anne as well as “a bunch of Toffs” as Peter puts it. They shared the stage with a band playing more modern tunes and played for two dances every hour until the early morning. He remembers that the royals came into the hall and danced when we played, but disappeared whenever “the guitar band”, as Peter called them, came on. “It was enjoyable, but I couldn’t do that every week”, Peter says with a smile. He prefers old-time dances, with the now ageing but enthusiastic crowd, and admits that village hall gigs are more profitable as there is more prep-work and cost involved in playing for SCD.
Peter first experienced the Perth Festival when his father took him there in 1962. He became involved with Bill Wilkie’s Orchestra from 1968 until 2010 when Bill retired the Orchestra. One special memory amongst many great social and musical experiences with the Orchestra was the recording in 1969 of The Music of Forty Hands. Peter competed in the festival competitions from its early days. He remembers preparation for the Festival was something you did the day before. But he still went on to win the Junior Scottish in 1967 and then in 1976 the Seniors, and he is now involved as Chairman of the Festival as well as being its compere.
Peter has not been involved in much broadcasting, but he did make three CDs with Smith Mearns Recordings in 1991, 2002 and 2007. He played in a duo with another of our 2020 Guests of Honour, Malcolm Ross, on the first two and in 2007 they expanded to form a trio with the ever-present Graham Berry.
Peter is first and foremost a teacher of maths and sees his music as an additional hobby. He admits that he likes teaching, and he still teaches and tutors maths. He spends a couple of mornings teaching Advanced Higher Statistics but this will probably be his last year. He is a good teacher; indeed a former pupil of his, Kevin Pendleton, has publicly stated that he was inspired by his Perth Grammar School teacher ; Peter Bruce.
Peter also taught music to many pupils, both the well-known and not so well-known. Many of his pupils came to get help with their Scottish music as it was Continental music that was in the high seat at Festivals and Competitions with Scottish being secondary. Among the many were James and Mhairi Coutts, Iain Anderson, Karin Leitch, Michael Philip; and one of his students, Stuart Cameron, was in November 2001 the first recipient of the NAAFC Jimmy Shand Scholarship at the then RSAMD. Peter remembers Stuart as a great lad with great work ethics.
Good work ethics are important, Peter states. There are those, both very talented and not so talented but with a moderate ability, who work hard and therefore shine. And then there are those who do not work and practice, and as a result, whether they are talented or not, do not get very far. He no longer teaches music, and this is mostly because of lack of pupil numbers. He feels there is less interest than there was 30 – 40 years ago, across all instruments, as young people are more into electronic pastimes and entertainment. He points out that this is a geographical issue, as music in areas such as the islands seem to have increased popularity.
So does Peter like only Scottish music? No, but it is important. Out of the many Scottish artistes to choose from, he admits that his all-time favourite is the Jimmy Blue Band of the late 60s and 70s. Of the other musical genres, he likes to listen to light classical music and he also likes jazz of the big band variety and swing bands – he loves to listen to Count Basie and Duke Ellington as he likes the beat and rhythm. He tells me that he would like to learn to play the piano – I get the feeling that this is on his to-do list for when he has more time. When that will be is a good question, as he is always busy (THIS WAS WRITTEN JUST PRIOR TO LOCKDOWN – PROBLEM SOLVED). He also reveals a deep secret to me – he likes Abba!
Outside his music he likes to go for walks locally, and when at home (rarely) he likes to work on recreational maths puzzles and problems in geometry and algebra! (I dare not ask any more!) As he himself comments this is “sure evidence of lunacy!” He reads a lot of science and politics material, and indeed his coffee table was littered with such books!
Peter was at the Perth & district A&F club’s first ever meeting and is currently its Chairman, having held that position since 1992. When asked about the future of Clubs, he is very positive that they will continue for many years to come, “at least until I am no longer here! They are more successful than you give them credit for. They have an audience with a particular musical interest, who will come out at night to listen, and their popularity has lasted longer than other clubs and fads. It will never get back to what it was in the 70s and 80s, but they are still viable with many loyal supporters. The only problems are that committees are getting older and therefore the work in setting up is more onerous – lifting gear etc, is more difficult now than it was 20 years ago!”
The work Peter has carried out for so many years for our music and clubs makes him a worthy recipient of the Guest of honour Award 2020.
From Willie Simpson
Peter is the consummate professional when it comes to music and also in his private life as a maths teacher. Peter played his first gig with me when he was still at university. It was the Forfar Farmers’ Ball which was from 8pm until 2am and Peter played his heart out and did not slip a note all night. Right from his first job Peter has always given 100% and we have had many fun nights together and are still playing, so we must be doing something right.
Peter is always turned out immaculately and has a great taste in clothing.
I am also involved with Peter at the Perth A&F Club where again he is always the professional and has been the backbone of the Club for many years.
From Simon Howie
Peter is one of the few brilliant players who are equally as accomplished as tutors. Of course, this isn’t only in music, but also in mathematics. I remember my brother, when aged 13, getting accordion lessons from him and when asked how his lesson had gone, he responded that he now understood Pythagoras much better, thanks to Peter. His sense of commitment, great communication skills and the ability to play flawlessly have been Peter’s great attributes. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of our music and is surely one of our best known and most respected players. He has given back to the music scene on a number of levels – accordionist, teacher, committee member and supporter. Congratulations on your well-earned honour Peter.
From James Coutts
Remembered from a Chairman's address at the Perth A&F club AGM "We have far more to fear from the Grim Reaper than the Bank Manager" - brilliant!
Peter was born in 1953 in Ardfern, Mid-Argyll as one of three brothers. One of them, Colin, lives in England and the other, Neil, in Ballinluig. They and their families are the only family Peter has, as he never married. Colin and Peter are the only brothers with an interest in music, with Colin playing piano. His father, Colin the cattleman, and mother Elizabeth encouraged Peter to learn to play by ear. His father played fiddle and was self-taught and his mother played the organ.
His musical career started when the family lived near Laggan Bridge, and at the age of six he was given a tiny red accordion by an uncle. His first performance was in Laggan Hall shortly thereafter. As he grew, so did his accordions and he is now the proud owner of a Gola.
In 1960 the whole family moved to Scone where Peter has lived ever since, except for the four years (1971 – 1975) he spent studying mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. He started lessons with Mickie Ainsworth, who Peter says was an inspiring teacher who made you want to do better. Mickie worked hard to undo the bad habits acquired by Peter from playing by ear. The second tune he was taught was Jaunting Along in the purple book, which accordionists of a certain age will remember. The story goes that Peter, who could not read music, practiced what was preached, and then came back the next week and played it wonderfully – in the wrong key!
As Mickie toured with the Powrie Band he wasn’t able to teach regularly, and Peter was therefore helped by others including Frank Thomson who at that time was working in Perth. When Frank moved to Aberdeen Peter started to go to Ian Anderson of Dunkeld. Here the tuition focused on playing classical music, which helped in developing technique.
Peter is mostly a solo musician but began playing with the Willie Simpson Band in 1970. He fondly remembers the 9pm – 2am gigs in the Reid Hall in Forfar. They are still gigging 48 years later, although the hours have changed.
He also played with button-box player Bobby Campbell, from whom he learnt all the popular tunes such as Ronnie Cooper’s Shetland compositions, and with the unique and entertaining Jim (Fiddler Broon). He has also played second box with the late Jimmy Lindsay (Glenalmond).
He prefers the village hall setting to the more formal setting when gigging. He does remember, however, the time he played with Ainsworth, Blue, Simpson and Brown at a house party near Dalkeith the day after he left school in 1971. The guests included The Queen, Prince Philip and Princess Anne as well as “a bunch of Toffs” as Peter puts it. They shared the stage with a band playing more modern tunes and played for two dances every hour until the early morning. He remembers that the royals came into the hall and danced when we played, but disappeared whenever “the guitar band”, as Peter called them, came on. “It was enjoyable, but I couldn’t do that every week”, Peter says with a smile. He prefers old-time dances, with the now ageing but enthusiastic crowd, and admits that village hall gigs are more profitable as there is more prep-work and cost involved in playing for SCD.
Peter first experienced the Perth Festival when his father took him there in 1962. He became involved with Bill Wilkie’s Orchestra from 1968 until 2010 when Bill retired the Orchestra. One special memory amongst many great social and musical experiences with the Orchestra was the recording in 1969 of The Music of Forty Hands. Peter competed in the festival competitions from its early days. He remembers preparation for the Festival was something you did the day before. But he still went on to win the Junior Scottish in 1967 and then in 1976 the Seniors, and he is now involved as Chairman of the Festival as well as being its compere.
Peter has not been involved in much broadcasting, but he did make three CDs with Smith Mearns Recordings in 1991, 2002 and 2007. He played in a duo with another of our 2020 Guests of Honour, Malcolm Ross, on the first two and in 2007 they expanded to form a trio with the ever-present Graham Berry.
Peter is first and foremost a teacher of maths and sees his music as an additional hobby. He admits that he likes teaching, and he still teaches and tutors maths. He spends a couple of mornings teaching Advanced Higher Statistics but this will probably be his last year. He is a good teacher; indeed a former pupil of his, Kevin Pendleton, has publicly stated that he was inspired by his Perth Grammar School teacher ; Peter Bruce.
Peter also taught music to many pupils, both the well-known and not so well-known. Many of his pupils came to get help with their Scottish music as it was Continental music that was in the high seat at Festivals and Competitions with Scottish being secondary. Among the many were James and Mhairi Coutts, Iain Anderson, Karin Leitch, Michael Philip; and one of his students, Stuart Cameron, was in November 2001 the first recipient of the NAAFC Jimmy Shand Scholarship at the then RSAMD. Peter remembers Stuart as a great lad with great work ethics.
Good work ethics are important, Peter states. There are those, both very talented and not so talented but with a moderate ability, who work hard and therefore shine. And then there are those who do not work and practice, and as a result, whether they are talented or not, do not get very far. He no longer teaches music, and this is mostly because of lack of pupil numbers. He feels there is less interest than there was 30 – 40 years ago, across all instruments, as young people are more into electronic pastimes and entertainment. He points out that this is a geographical issue, as music in areas such as the islands seem to have increased popularity.
So does Peter like only Scottish music? No, but it is important. Out of the many Scottish artistes to choose from, he admits that his all-time favourite is the Jimmy Blue Band of the late 60s and 70s. Of the other musical genres, he likes to listen to light classical music and he also likes jazz of the big band variety and swing bands – he loves to listen to Count Basie and Duke Ellington as he likes the beat and rhythm. He tells me that he would like to learn to play the piano – I get the feeling that this is on his to-do list for when he has more time. When that will be is a good question, as he is always busy (THIS WAS WRITTEN JUST PRIOR TO LOCKDOWN – PROBLEM SOLVED). He also reveals a deep secret to me – he likes Abba!
Outside his music he likes to go for walks locally, and when at home (rarely) he likes to work on recreational maths puzzles and problems in geometry and algebra! (I dare not ask any more!) As he himself comments this is “sure evidence of lunacy!” He reads a lot of science and politics material, and indeed his coffee table was littered with such books!
Peter was at the Perth & district A&F club’s first ever meeting and is currently its Chairman, having held that position since 1992. When asked about the future of Clubs, he is very positive that they will continue for many years to come, “at least until I am no longer here! They are more successful than you give them credit for. They have an audience with a particular musical interest, who will come out at night to listen, and their popularity has lasted longer than other clubs and fads. It will never get back to what it was in the 70s and 80s, but they are still viable with many loyal supporters. The only problems are that committees are getting older and therefore the work in setting up is more onerous – lifting gear etc, is more difficult now than it was 20 years ago!”
The work Peter has carried out for so many years for our music and clubs makes him a worthy recipient of the Guest of honour Award 2020.
From Willie Simpson
Peter is the consummate professional when it comes to music and also in his private life as a maths teacher. Peter played his first gig with me when he was still at university. It was the Forfar Farmers’ Ball which was from 8pm until 2am and Peter played his heart out and did not slip a note all night. Right from his first job Peter has always given 100% and we have had many fun nights together and are still playing, so we must be doing something right.
Peter is always turned out immaculately and has a great taste in clothing.
I am also involved with Peter at the Perth A&F Club where again he is always the professional and has been the backbone of the Club for many years.
From Simon Howie
Peter is one of the few brilliant players who are equally as accomplished as tutors. Of course, this isn’t only in music, but also in mathematics. I remember my brother, when aged 13, getting accordion lessons from him and when asked how his lesson had gone, he responded that he now understood Pythagoras much better, thanks to Peter. His sense of commitment, great communication skills and the ability to play flawlessly have been Peter’s great attributes. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of our music and is surely one of our best known and most respected players. He has given back to the music scene on a number of levels – accordionist, teacher, committee member and supporter. Congratulations on your well-earned honour Peter.
From James Coutts
Remembered from a Chairman's address at the Perth A&F club AGM "We have far more to fear from the Grim Reaper than the Bank Manager" - brilliant!