Meet Riley Leggereit – Maxx Music Guitar Teacher
Introducing Riley Leggereit, our new guitar teacher who can be found at our Rouse Hill School.
Some of you may already be familiar with Riley as he has a popular Instagram account with over 3.2k followers (click on the photo to see a video of him in action). He is an awesome addition to our teaching team bringing 10years of playing experience to his role. He has experience of performing as part of a band and as a solo artist.
Find out more about Riley, his musical influences and why he decided to start teaching in our short interview.
Why did you decide to teach music?
I decided to teach music because I’ve been passionate about guitar and music for as long as I can remember. I’ve had quite a few different teachers over the years and I know how important it is to have a teacher who is really interested in their students and is willing to put in the extra effort to see their students thrive!
Are you or have you been part of a band or a solo performer?
I was previously part of a blues/rock band that played at restaurants and festivals, but at the moment I’m working on releasing my own instrumental music on Spotify. One of my favourite performances was at an overnight festival where we played an hour long set which included some of our own originals, then still got called back by the crowd afterwards for an encore!
What were some of the first music pieces you fell in love with?
The piece that initially inspired me to play guitar was Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. When I heard that solo kick in I knew one day that was gonna be me! Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to see Guns N’ Roses twice and Slash with Myles Kennedy once at the Hordern pavilion. Slash was one of my favourite concerts that I’ve been to because there was no assigned seating and we got there early to sit way up the front. My ears were ringing for hours afterwards!
How has your upbringing influenced your music style?
Both of my parents play guitar and my dad performed in church bands during his 20s, so I was destined to be a guitar player from a young age! My dad would often play me artists like Disturbed, Eagles, George Benson, and Skid Row, cementing my love for music in all styles. I spent many hours when I was younger jamming out to music with my dad which really helped to develop my ear and consistently push me out of my comfort zone by playing songs I wasn’t as familiar with.
What album do you recommend everyone should listen to?
Definitely Master of Puppets by Metallica. The complicated song structures, percussive down-picked rhythm parts, and beautiful melodic sections opened up a whole new world of music for me on the guitar. An underrated song on that album, that I think has one of the best Metallica solos, is The Thing That Should Not Be. The opening whammy bar lick and hammer on pull off parts really reflect the creepy vibe of the rest of the song!
Are you feeling inspired to learn to play guitar? Find out more about our Guitar Lessons and book your FREE Trial guitar lesson by contacting our friendly lesson coordinators on 0298940000
