SAX BITES
Saxophone players unite! It’s time to get really bloody good at the saxophone, just five minutes at a time. Join Dr Emma Di Marco, Australian saxophonist and music educator, for a quick five minute saxophone lesson where she shares the best tips, tricks, ideas, and practice strategies to make you the best saxophone player you can be. Episodes drop on Saturdays. What can you expect from an episode? Emma will share her insights into a new topic or pain point for saxophonists leaving you with strategies you can put IMMEDIATELY into your own musical practice. These bite-sized episodes will leave you more motivated and excited to play the saxophone than ever and will benefit students, teachers, and enthusiasts alike. Have a question for Emma? Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1), or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
It's time to talk about SCALES.One of the most important technical strategies and also one of the most hated. Today's episode will give you a fresh perspective on practising scales which is about more than just running your fingers up and down the instrument.
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Friday Nov 25, 2022
Friday Nov 25, 2022
Breathing and Saxophone Playing, an iconic duo. In today's episode of Sax Bites, Emma unpacks how you can figure out where on Earth you're going to breathe when playing repertoire. If you're constantly feeling out of breath or just want to sound more mature and controlled when playing, give today's five minute saxophone lesson a listen.
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Musicality... Expressiveness... X factor... How do you describe the masterful way that great players shape each phrase they play? In today's episode, Emma describes a quick and easy way to think about phrasing which works just as well with very young students as it does with more advanced ones. It's the number one way Emma has been able to take her students' playing from 'wow' to 'OMG WOW'!
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
You play the saxophone, you better remember to BREATHE! When you play an instrument, the air is your sound and the way you manage your breathing can make far more impact on your playing than you realise. Listen in to today’s episode to get Emma’s quick tips on improving your breathing and amping up your breath support.
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Tell me, how many times have you ever heard your saxophone teacher talk about your teeth? What about your jaw? Ever been told that you are ‘biting’ the mouthpiece? Today’s bite-sized saxophone lesson is the final in our Sax Basics series and it covers a super important topic: Teeth Placement. Listen in to get simple, actionable, and life-changing advice on your saxophone playing.
Part 5 of the Saxophone Basics is here; listen in as Emma takes you through some of the most important fundamentals - a great resource for young players and an important refresher for more advanced saxophonists.
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
The tongue is so important when it comes to playing a wind or brass instrument and, for saxophone players, tongue position can have a huge impact on sound production as a whole. Ever found it hard to play low notes on a saxophone? Well, your tongue is probably the reason why. Listen in to today's episode to get some detailed insights into how you can improve and refine your tongue position.
Part 4 of the Saxophone Basics is here; listen in as Emma takes you through some of the most important fundamentals - a great resource for young players and an important refresher for more advanced saxophonists.
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Posture is one of those things that gets talked about a lot with young students and then... well, kind of forgotten about. Correct playing posture is crucial to both good sound production and healthy playing practices. Emma's bite-sized lesson today covers the posture essentials for saxophonists.
Part 3 of the Saxophone Basics is here; listen in as Emma takes you through some of the most important fundamentals - a great resource for young players and an important refresher for more advanced saxophonists.
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
It's time to talk EMBOUCHURE. That's right, a tough topic for some and one of the most impactful elements on your saxophone playing. Perfecting your embouchure can be a challenge and, for many young students, they get conflicting advice that feels hard to implement when playing. This episode unpacks the saxophone embouchure basics that all saxos need to hear and young players need to know. When it comes to saxophone embouchure, keep it simple and straightforward and make your best sound!
Part 2 of the Saxophone Basics series is here; listen in as Emma takes you through some of the most important fundamentals - a great resource for young players and an important refresher for more advanced saxophonists.
Have a question for Emma?
Submit it via Instagram (@emmaldm1), TikTok (@emmaldm1) or email the team at hello@emmadimarco.com
Want something for free?
Visit Emma's online store (www.emmadimarco.com/edmmstore) to download a free long tones worksheet to take your saxophone practice to the next level. More companion worksheets to podcast episodes will be available on the store as well as further paid resources for all saxophonists.
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Friday Nov 04, 2022
As a woodwind specialist, it feels like Emma is constantly talking about one thing: AIR! Today's bite-sized lesson is all about the fundamentals of air use in saxophone playing.
Part 1 of the Saxophone Basics is here; listen in as Emma takes you through some of the most important fundamentals - a great resource for young players and an important refresher for more advanced saxophonists.
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Welcome to Sax Bites: The 5 Minute Saxophone Lesson Podcast hosted by Dr Emma Di Marco, Australian saxophonist and music educator. Listen to bite-sized episodes that will transform your saxophone playing and give you hours of inspiration for better practising and performance.
Who is Emma?
D’Addario Woodwinds Artist Dr Emma Di Marco is an Australian contemporary musician, educator, artistic director, photographer, and entrepreneur. She has performed in four continents and is a regular on the festival and conferencing scene including solo engagements as multiple World Saxophone Congresses. Emma is a founding member of the Barega Saxophone Quartet. Her involvement with Barega has seen over a dozen new works for saxophone quartet commissioned, multiple tours interstate and internationally, as well as collaborations with Trichotomy, Hourglass Ensemble, the Queensland Wind Orchestra, Lyre Duo, and a range of visual artists. Emma is a Casual Academic in Saxophone at the University of Queensland and is a Churchill Fellow. She performs regularly with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra amongst her freelance work across Queensland. She is an endorsed artist with D’Addario Woodwinds and exclusively uses D’Addario Reserve reeds.