Craig McIntosh
What age were you when you started piping?
I was 10 years old, my parents decided it’s time I had a hobby. My Dad, Joe, was in the band already so it just seemed the natural place to go and try something out. I’ve been piping ever since, just 53 years now !
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Here’s a young Craig in Bradford uniform, long before becoming a professional piper.
How long were you with Bradford, and who taught you?
My first teacher was Walter Ingham, who I think had been Pipe Major of the band at some point. Walter was self taught, but did a great job teaching me the basics and first few tunes till I graduated from the learners table and into the band. Thereafter I went to the band’s Pipe Sergeant, Stuart Gilchrist for tuition outside the things I learned in the band. I’d various teachers over the years, but was lucky enough to be taught by another former COBPB member for a time in Bradford, John Walsh, before he emigrated to Canada. That was my first inkling of what could be achieved with hard practice and big dreams. I stayed with Bradford for 7 or 8 years.
I still have a teacher to this day. I’m currently studying Piobaireachd under Dr Jack Taylor in Aboyne. It’s that part of my piping journey I never really travelled properly. Finding good Piobaireachd tuition in Yorkshire was just about impossible in the days before the internet. I’m lucky to have Jack guide me, he is a world renowned player, teacher and judge of the art, very much in demand around the world.
What have been your biggest achievements within the piping world?
When I competed on the English solo and band scene we’d some very successful days out winning everything, for a while it was said I was ‘arguably England’s most successful solo piper’ ! That’s all a long time ago now. However, playing in Field Marshal Montgomery in Northern Ireland is my proudest time, winning every major championship in Grade 1 including the worlds in 2004, and simply having been a part of that band has opened piping doors for me ever since, allowing me to travel and play all over the world. Outside of the competition scene, Piping Donald Campbell’s Bluebird back into Coniston, that was a real hair’s on the back of the neck moment.
How did Bradford help you on your journey, and what key takeaways did you learn there?
I got my grounding at Bradford, becoming Pipe Major at the age of 17. Which was very (too) young, I had people like Billy Balmforth who was a great supporter, who encouraged me to seek out other things and fulfil the potential he saw.
What would be your advice for future players starting out at Bradford?
Listen to everything you can, the internet is a vast resource for ideas and inspiration. Seek out the quality, the very best bands of the day and for youngsters in particular, people like Lincoln Hilton who produces really innovative music. Also access good tuition, which is easily available over the internet nowadays. Either by word of mouth referral, or the National Piping Centre. If you get the chance to play with musicians outside piping, do it, you learn so much from playing other types of music and bringing piping to different audiences. If your goal is to play in a band like Field Marshal or Inverary, you can.