Although his father encouraged him to also become a teacher, Walter focused his studies on musical instruments, including piano, cello, organ, and French horn.
Walter applied to the Prussian Academy of Arts, where he received a scholarship to study under Arnold Schoenberg.
When the National Socialists came to power, Walter avoided all contact with the party and military, which helped him receive a position as a freelancer for the Rundfunksender Leipzig radio station.
He lived in the Netherlands for a short period of time with his wife, where he was unable to find work as an expatriate from Germany.
Walter Fried's success as a composer led to his name being compiled in Adolf Hitler's infamous August 1944 Gottbegnadeten list, which venerated artists important to the Nazi party.
Despite his veneration by the Nazi Party, Walter was not classified as a Belastete (offender) by the allied forces during denazification at the end of World War II, so he was able to receive a post at the Berlin State Opera as a répétiteur and concert pianist.