One distinctive instrument in Europe is the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes. It is a woodwind instrument. While bagpipes existed in many countries, the earliest reference of their use in Scotland was in a military context. This is believed to be why bagpipe music is still popular in Scotland. Bagpipes were played even into World War I. However, the use of them in battle was stopped relatively early in WW I because of the high death and injury rates in these regiments.
Listen to some Scottish military bagpipe music by clicking on the image above!
