The Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe

The earliest references to the Highland Bagpipe are from battles during the 1500's, and describe this instrument as a replacement for military trumpets. When Prince Charles Stuart raised a Scottish army in an attempt to capture the British throne in 1746, bagpipes were played on both the Scottish side AND the English side. Prince Charles lost his bid for power, however, and what followed was an English led destruction of many aspects of Highland Scottish culture.

That the Highland Bagpipe survived in this period is paradoxically due to English influence. As Hugh Cheape writes, "The Highland bagpipe was essentially 'rescued' and adopted by the British army as its single most powerful 'marching' instrument" (Cheape 2008:134). The British army formed Highland regiments that served in expanding the British empire around the world. By the mid 1800's, the instrument and its repertoire became standardised, adopted by marching bands all around the world, many of which having no ties at all to Scotland. The modern Great Highland Bagpipe has three drone pipes and a chanter giving nine notes for melody.

While the stereotype of Scotland as a bagpipe nation is something that not all Scots would go in for, most people agree that the Great Highland Bagpipe is certainly in no danger of disappearance.