The following newpaper quote from 1934 is confirmation of the late persistence of an aural fiddle culture in Scotland, at least in one rural area:

BORDER MUSIC FESTIVAL The fifteenth annual Border Music Festival will be held at Hawick and Galashiels from May 14th to 19th. Four new classes are included in the syllabus, which has just been issued. There are a class for Women’s Rural Institute choirs, where the test is singing two Scottish songs in unison; a strathspey and reel class for violinists, intended primarily for those who are accustomed to playing by ear; a class for bagpipe players under 19 years of age; and a class for percussion bands. Southern Reporter 25 January 1934, p. 4.