If bagpipes continue their slump in popularity and interest in kazoos takes off, Scotland could be a very different place in a century or two

In a word-association game that starts with “Scotland”, it will not be long until someone says “bagpipes”. They are an instrument of Scottish soft power as much as a musical one.

So news that the pipes were among the five least-bought instruments last year – alongside the likes of the kazoo – is a matter of national concern. According to the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust, “when bands in our towns and communities vanish quietly, and when there is no tuition in local schools either, we lose a precious cycle of teaching and learning”.

A piper plays on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. It just would not be the same with a kazoo (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

This cannot continue. A walk down Edinburgh’s Princes Street might suggest they are commonplace, but it appears they risk becoming as endangered as the capercaillie.

If we fail to reverse the current trend, then in a century or two, Scotland may find itself better known for its massed kazoos than its pipes and drums. Any parent who ever thought it would be fun to hand out kazoos at a children’s party will know what a terrifying fate that would be. So the campaign starts right here: Save Our Pipes!

Why Scotland must not let our national instrument, bagpipes, be replaced by kazoos

Comments