The school orchestra lacked a double bass, so the music teacher asked Peter Riegelbauer if he would like to learn the instrument. As he had wanted to play in the orchestra for a long time, and it would also give him the opportunity to become the bass guitarist in the school band, Peter Riegelbauer immediately said yes. He later studied in Nuremberg under Georg Hörtnagel and in Berlin under Rainer Zepperitz. He played in the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie for three years, and during this time, he co-founded the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the Ensemble Modern.