Bagpiper

Ross McCrindle

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About Ross

Ross is an award winning Edinburgh piper of 35 years. Former Senior Pipe Major of the British Army and lone piper at the Edinburgh Tattoo.
Ross McCrindle's profile picture
Bagpiper
Edinburgh
Public liability insurance of £5 million
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Hello and thanks for visiting my page. I started playing bagpipes 35 years ago at the age of 8, winning my first juvenile contest 8 months later. I won my first under 18 world championship at the age of 12 and retained that title for the following 3 years. I still compete successfully in professional solo piping contests. I have had a 25 year career as a piper and more recently Pipe Major of the world famous 1st Battalion Scots Guards. This has taken me all over the world including musical tours of the United States of America, Japan, and Italy among many others. I have played at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for the Royal family and visiting heads of state, and I've also played at hundreds of smaller functions in Scotland and further afield. Performing with other ensembles is something I enjoy. I recently performed with the Orchestra Filarmonica di Lucca at the Musikverein in Vienna which was a great privilege. Weddings and Burns functions are something I have a great deal of experience in. I am able to perform the poem "address to a Haggis" as well as the music that accompanies it.

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Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
Lightning fast responses
Average response time under 2 hours
Member of the Encore community forum
Encore expert
Demonstrated expertise by completing the Encore Academy
Most booked in region, 2022
Top 10 booked musician of 2022
6th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 6 years
75 gigs
Veteran: 75 bookings through Encore
Musicianship
Genres:
Scottish music, Folk, Military, Traditional Scottish folk, Traditional Irish folk
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Instruments:
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Event types:
Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve, Virtual event
See all event types
Other skills:
Arranger, Composer, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Examiner, Transcription, Fluent improviser, Fluent sight-reader, MC, Composition teaching, Community music worker
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Song list

Wedding Favourites:
Highland Cathedral
Mhairi's Wedding
The Skye Boat Song
The Highland Wedding
Hector the Hero
The Fair Maid of Barra
...
Slow Airs & popular funeral music:
The Flowers of the Forest
The Dark Island
My Home
The Highland Cradle Song
The Mist Covered Mountains
Amazing Grace
Caledonia
Flower of Scotland
Oft in the stilly Night
Morag of Dunvegan
As she Moved through the Fair (The Belfast Child)
...
2/4 Marches:
The Barren Rocks of Aden
The Brown Haired Maiden
The Drunken Piper
The Earl of Mansfield
A Mans a Man for a' that
Cabar Feidh
My love she's but a Lassie Yet
Teribus
Corriechoillie's Welcome
The High Road to Gairloch
Highland Laddie
The Black Bear
Rantin' Rovin' Robin
...
3/4 Marches:
The Green Hills of Tyrol (A Scottish Soldier)
When the Battles O'er
Land of my Youth
Lochanside
Castle Dangerous
The Kilworth Hills
My Land
The Road to Passchendaele
Mull of Kintyre
Shoals of Herring
Gran's Tune
...
4/4 Marches:
Scotland the Brave
The Rowan Tree
Bonnie Galloway
Within a mile o' Edinburgh Town
Wings
Ye Jacobites by name
The Roses of Prince Charlie
The Braes o' Killiecrankie
The Old Rustic Bridge
The Crags of Tumbledown Mountain
The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie
...
6/8 Marches:
The Atholl Highlanders
The Pibroch of Donald Dhu
Dr Ross's Welcome to the Argyllshire Gathering
Dovecote Park
The Glendaruel Highlanders (Campbelltown Loch)
Leaving Port Askaig
Jean Mauchline
Rab's Wedding
Bengullion
Bonnie Dundee
Queen Elizabeth's March
The Steamboat
...
9/8 Marches:
The Battle of the Somme
The Heights of Dargai
Heather Grant of Strathyre
Between the Don and the Dee
The Banks of the Lossie
...
Strathspeys:
Susan MacLeod
The Piper's Bonnet
Inveraray Castle
The Ewe wi' the crooked horn
Tulloch Castle
Dora MacLeod
...
Reels:
Thomson's Dirk
The Smith of Chilliechassie
Itchy Fingers
Capt Lachlan MacPhail of Tiree
Lt Col DJS Murray
Major David Manson
The Brown Haired Maid
The Sound of Sleat
Charlie's Welcome
The Clucking Hen
Duntroon
John Morrison of Assynt House
Lexy Mcaskill
The Little Cascade
Loch Carron
Mrs MacPherson of Inveran
Pretty Marion
The Rejected Suitor
Sandy Cameron
The Sheepwife
Traditional
The Ale is Dear
Bundle and Go
Dancing Feet
The Devil in the Kitchen
The Fairy Dance
The High Road to Linton
The Humours of Tulla
Ice in the Bucket
Inchdrewer House
Jenny Dang the Weaver
Kate Dalrymple
The Kilt is my Delight
The Piper of Drummond
Rakish Paddy
The Reel of Tulloch
The Silver Spear
Struy Lodge
The Swallow Tail
Tripping up the stairs
Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

My friendly and approachable personality, and the professionalism that comes with the correct training and experience coupled with the very best equipment. The flexibility to play whatever they'd like and my willingness to go above and beyond to give them the best experience possible. A sense of occasion and respect in more sombre events.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Musikverein, Vienna, Austria Lone Piper, Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh Castle Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Holyrood Palace Blenheim Palace Highclere Castle 10 Downing Street The Pentagon, Washington DC The House of Representatives & The Senate, Washington DC The British Embassy, Tokyo, Japan

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

Pipe Major Angus MacDonald Pipe Major William Ross MBE Captain John A MacLellan MBE

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

The state visit to the UK of the President of the United States at Buckingham Palace.

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

I'm as flexible as I can be. If you need to change your times after booking, please just let me know. It's usually no problem at all.

How much time do you need to set up?

I arrive fully dressed and ready to play. I will aim to arrive at least 30 minutes early to ensure there are no surprises at the venue that might impact your requirements.

Can I pick the pieces you play from the set list?

Yes! Feel free to have a look at my music list and let me know any you'd like. It's not an exhaustive list, so if there's anything you have in mind that isn't on there, please just ask.

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

Yes, I arrive with everything I need so that the client and venue don't need to worry about any part of my performance. I have several uniforms so that the right fit can be chosen for your event.

Can you learn specific pieces before the event?

Yes! I'm often asked to learn pieces of music that have special meaning to my clients. They needn't be bagpipe pieces specifically or even Scottish. Recent requests have ranged from classical pieces by Wagner, to Ed Sheeran's "Perfect", to the theme from Star Wars. Please let me know what you'd like, and I'll be happy to prepare it for you.

Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Short performance (up to 15 min)£160
Up to 1 hour£170
Up to 2 hours£185
Up to 3 hours£200
Ross
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5
27 verified reviews
Satisfaction
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5.0
Professionalism
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5.0
Communication
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5.0
Punctuality
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0

Reviews

From Encore customers:

SB
Shona B
6 days ago
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5 out of 5

Ross was absolutely brilliant on our wedding day: he was a brilliant player (we got loads of compliments), but he mainly made our day by being so friendly and going above and beyond for us (including teaching Liam how to tie his ghillie brogues!). Could not recommend more highly!

MW
Michael W
7 days ago
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5 out of 5

We booked Ross for my brother’s funeral earlier this week. He couldn’t have been better and went above and beyond to make the occasion a fitting send off. He is fantastic on the pipes and he was there early and stayed beyond the 1hr we had booked him for to pipe the hearse down the road. We really appreciated those extra touches and couldn’t recommend him highly enough. Thanks again Ross.

YI
Yumiko I
22 days ago
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5 out of 5

Than you Ross! We were very fortunate you meet you. You made our visit to Edinburgh very special ~ once-in-a-liferime kind of special! You are the first class in every way. We were impressed by your dignity, authenticity, warmth and knowledge and love to the music and the instrument. We will treasure for the rest of our lives every tunes you played for us as a wonderful memory of Scotland. With thanks from our hearts, TK & Yumiko

VZ
Viktoria Z
27 days ago
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5 out of 5

Ross was so great. He was very proactive with great communication. Ross had put together good playlist and made our big day truly special. Thank you

Read all 27 reviews

From other customers:

EC
Encore C
6 years ago

If I had the option to give 10 stars for Ross, I would do. Not only was Ross an absolute delight to communicate with, he was also a joy to meet and truly made our day. We booked Ross to play at my father's birthday breakfast which was an intimate affair and Ross was truly fantastic. His playing skills was second to none but what truly impressed and left a lasting impression on us was his genuine persona and going above and beyond just playing for us. He was gracious, let us take a ton of pictures and made the whole time we had with him truly interactive. My Dad said it was the best birthday surprise he could ever ask for and he is still talking about it almost two weeks later. We will definitely be in touch with Ross again, He is truly brilliant!! : )

EC
Encore C
5 years ago

Verified Arrived early, great piper, Would Highly Recommend Ross.