He learned how to play the violin from books about the technique of famous performers. Lacking a piano on which to practice sight reading or analyze chord structures, he laid out a large sheet of paper on a chest and on it drew a complete keyboard with which he painstakingly practiced sight reading, playing notes and composing in his imagination.
從提琴名家的演奏法著作中，黃友棣學會拉小提琴；沒有鋼琴，無法磨練視奏能力，也不能分析和弦結構，於是他想出一個辦法，在衣箱上鋪一張大紙，一格格手繪出一整個鋼琴鍵盤，坐在衣箱前，苦練視奏，並在腦海中揣摩音符，苦練作曲。