Instrument of War

• The instrument was first used by Greeks and Romans in battles. Highland armies in Scotland used the bagpipe on battlefields in the 1700s. The use of bagpipes during battle may be one reason the instrument is played while walking.
  
  

Against the Law

• The noise of the bagpipe on the battlefields frightened British soldiers. After the Scottish were defeated in the battle of Culloden in 1745, the British outlawed the bagpipe. The penalty of playing the instrument was imprisonment or death. The ban ended in the 1800s.
  
  

Origin

• The instrument began in the Middle East before the birth of Christ, around 1000 BC. The bagpipes in Scotland can be traced back to around 100 AD.
  
  

Interesting Facts

• Bagpipers must memorize all of their music. The bagpipe must have a continuous air supply to keep proper pitch, and turning a music page can affect air supply to the instrument. The constant need for air supply in order to play the instrument correctly may be another reason the instrument is played while standing or walking.
  
  

Many Forms

• Many countries around the world had a form of the bagpipe. Each version had common parts of the instrument, such as a bag, a chanter and one or more drones.