William James

Principal Percussionist, St Louis Symphony Orchestra

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The Modern Concert Snare Drum Roll by William James is available for purchase from Meredith Music.

Recent Blog Posts

The Repertoire FAQ
The Repertoire Announcement!
Top 10 Tips for Those in HS Taking College Auditions

Chapter Videos

Videos for each chapter in The Modern Concert Snare Drum Roll.

Setting Up to the Drum

Gripping the Sticks

The Basic Principles of the Modern Concert Snare Drum Roll

Implementing All Three Principles Into One Stroke

Building a Sustained Roll and Developing the Sound

The Release of the Roll

Alternating Between Single Strokes and a Roll

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HUGE announcement! the Repertoire is now available to colleges and universities for the 19-20 school year!!!!

Thanks for all the hilarious comments! That was fun. Maybe I should do it again... 😉 Congrats to @chasebankspercussion for winning. And yes we are always rolling!!!

Caption Contest! Best caption below wins a FREE copy of The Repertoire!! Comment below and like the best comments to help decide who wins. Enter here or my Facebook page William James Percussion. Winner will be chosen on Friday. . Came across the gem while I was editing the tambourine videos. Probably nothing positive happening in my head at this moment... . . . . . #orchestralpercussion #percussion #orchestra #malletech #zildjian #evans #groverpropercussion #auditions #orchestraauditions #percussionauditions #percusion #percussionista #percussionlife #drums #drummer #musician #orchestralmusician #percussioncommunity #drumsticks #TheRepertoire

There are lots of spots in Romeo and Juliet that are over looked or not noticed on the first study. Here are some examples of things you might miss when learning this for the first time. . . . . . . . #orchestralpercussion #percussion #orchestra #malletech #zildjian #evans #groverpropercussion #auditions #orchestraauditions #percussionauditions #percusion #percussionista #percussionlife #drums #drummer #musician #orchestralmusician #percussioncommunity #drumsticks #TheRepertoire

So long Mexico. Refreshed after a wonderful week of escape with @stephjones11

Cymbals are hard..... and heavy.

Romeo and Juliet has to be the most common cymbal excerpt. I mean come on... what better instrument to represent a sword fight? You've got to have great time and a great sound in this one. . . . . . #orchestralpercussion #percussion #orchestra #malletech #zildjian #evans #groverpropercussion #auditions #orchestraauditions #percussionauditions #percusion #percussionista #percussionlife #drums #drummer #musician #orchestralmusician #percussioncommunity #drumsticks #TheRepertoire

I don’t always have a drink at 10:30 am. But when I do it’s because @stephjones11 and I are going our first week long vacation sans kids in 5 years. Peace out! ✌️

The very end of Carnival Overture is one of the most frequently asked tambourine excerpts in auditions. This is a short example from the tutorial in The Repertoire of how I approach it. You certainly can't go into this one with low energy! Click the link in my bio to see more. . . . . . . #orchestralpercussion #percussion #orchestra #malletech #zildjian #evans #groverpropercussion #auditions #orchestraauditions #percussionauditions #percusion #percussionista #percussionlife #drums #drummer #musician #orchestralmusician #percussioncommunity #drumsticks #TheRepertoire

@lakestreetdive did not disappoint tonight. The ultimate compliment is when a band sounds better live and that is definitely the case here. In awe of @rachaelpricepants @bridgetkearneymusic and others. (Wish we knew each other at NEC! Whoops!) please come back soon.

You come down here and play it. 😂 . . . . . #orchestralpercussion #percussion #orchestra #malletech #zildjian #evans #groverpropercussion #auditions #orchestraauditions #percussionauditions #percusion #percussionista #percussionlife #drums #drummer #musician #orchestralmusician #percussioncommunity #drumsticks

Last week I shared an example of a Performance video. This is a short example of a Tutorial video for the opening of Carnival Overture. Every excerpt has a video like this in which I dive deep into all of the musical elements you should consider, how I tackle them, and what to look out for. I also discuss how I deal with difficult technical passages and how I might perform each excerpt slightly differently in the audition vs. with the orchestra. If you want to watch Tutorials for other excerpts go the link in my profile. . . . . #orchestralpercussion #percussion #orchestra #malletech #zildjian #evans #groverpropercussion #auditions #orchestraauditions #percussionauditions #percusion #percussionista #percussionlife #drums #drummer #musician #orchestralmusician #percussioncommunity #drumsticks @groverpro #TheRepertoire

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