Book Ross McCrindle, Bagpiper in Edinburgh

Check availability and get a free quote now - no commitment to book

From£170

1 hour

Like Ross?

Watch & Listen

1-3 of 3 videos

Lone Piper

1st Battalion Scots Guards Amazing Grace Tattoo Estes 2011 10th Anniversary Tribute 9/11

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE (arr.) - PM R.MCCRINDLE - A.COLOMBINI - LuPhOr - VIENNA MUSIKVEREIN

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.

Bagpiper

Edinburgh

Public liability insurance of £5 million

Verified profile

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.

Encore badges

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

See all genres

Instruments:

Bagpipes

See all instruments

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

See all skills

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”.

Performance duration	Price
Short performance (up to 15 min)	£160
Up to 1 hour	£170
Up to 2 hours	£185
Up to 3 hours	£200

Ross

5 out of 5

27 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

Reviews

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!

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.

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

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

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!! : )

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