• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MY ACCOUNT
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT

Search Neffmusic

You are here: Home / Reviews / Book Reviews / The John Coltrane Omnibook Review

The John Coltrane Omnibook Review

November 18, 2013 by Steve 8 Comments

*I posted all the recordings I could find on Youtube that go with this transcription book at the bottom of this review………Enjoy!

Those of you who know me and my musical history know the impact the Charlie Parker Omnibook has had on me since I discovered it in High School many years ago.  I was an alto saxophone player then.  I could care less about the tenor saxophone.  That all changed in 1986 when I first heard Michael Brecker play on a Steps Ahead recording ( I believe it was Magnetic).   I had never heard anything like that before and I soon bought a tenor saxophone (It was an H. Couf tenor I bought from Ken Gioffre…….thanks Ken………)

ColtraneOmni

Soon after I discovered Brecker, I started delving into his influences……….  Which of course meant John Coltrane!  John Coltrane was always a bit of an enigma for me as an alto player.  I knew him as the guy who played way too many notes that I could never decipher or figure out.  As a committed saxophone player,  I of course bought all of the recordings that all sax players are required to have if they want to progress to the next level.  These included Giant Steps, Blue Train, Coltrane’s Sound,  Live at Birdland,  A Love Supreme, etc………………  I would listen to them endlessly hoping that they would rub off on me in some magical way. I dreamed at night that I could somehow channel Coltrane and play just like him.  This was of course before the creation of slow down transcription software and all that.  I would just listen to these amazing blurs of notes (sheets of sound they were called) and be in complete awe………(but have no idea what he was playing……..)

A couple of months ago,  I heard of a new Hal Leonard release titled the John Coltrane Omnibook.  I was immediately interested.  John Coltrane, one of the greatest tenor saxophone players of all time and the word Omnibook were being combined ( I knew Omnibook from the Charlie Parker Omnibook which I worked out of all through High School).  To be honest, Charlie Parker was as big a mystery to me as Coltrane was when I was a kid but  The Charlie Parker Omnibook put all these notes on to paper for me so I could work on them.  Some of these notes were upward of 320 on the metronome for 16th notes…………..If the Coltrane Omnibook could help me decipher some of Coltrane’s playing like the Charlie Parker Omnibook did,  then I had to get it.

ColtraneOmni

The John Coltrane Omnibook is sitting on my desk in front of me now as I type this.  It is a solid book and well made.  It’s plastic comb bound and a hearty 285 pages long.  Taking a look through the book,  you immediately get a sense that Hal Leonard knows how to print music!   I have seen many Coltrane transcriptions before and usually the density of notes on the page is enough to scare off the greatest sight reader to ever live.  Hal Leonard has had the insight to actually print the transcriptions so they are easier to read.  Don’t get me wrong,  playing a John Coltrane solo is still incredibly hard but……….they have the courtesy of making the notes look as pleasant as possible on the page.  The layout is spectacular.   On some pages you will see 8 measures per lines and on other pages you will see 2 measures or even 1 measure per line.  It doesn’t feel cramped and cluttered at all.  I just opened the book to a random page and in one measure there is 35 notes. (page 45 last line…….) The fact that they give this one measure a whole line makes a world of difference. Does it make it easier to play…….NO, not really BUT…….it does make it easier for my brain to decipher and perhaps grasp………..that is important………..

The other element that is nice is that the pages don’t have a fixed number of staves on them.  They vary from 7 to 11.  You get the impression that someone at Hal Leonard (they deserve a raise) went through this book page by page with the goal of making it as easy to read as possible.  Whoever this unnamed employee at Hall Leonard is I commend thee.  Job well done.  This book looks great!

ColtraneOmni

Now, as far as the solo’s that are transcribed, there are a good mix of the common solo transcriptions……..Impression, Mr. PC, Giant Steps, Moment’s Notice, 26-2.etc………… and some less common solos  like “Cattin'”  (I haven’t even heard of this tune so I will need to find the recording of this one.)  Here’s the complete list of solos included in the book: Acknowledgement,  Airegin,  Alabama, All Blues, All or Nothing at All, Bessie’s Blues, Blue Train, Body and Soul, By the Numbers*, Bye Bye Blackbird, Cattin’*, Central Park West,  Chasin’ the Trane, Countdown, Cousin Mary, Crescent, Eclypso*, Equinox, Giant Steps, Goldsboro Express*, Grand Central, Impressions,  In a Sentimental Mood, India, Just For the Love*, Lazy Bird, Like Sonny, Locomotion, Lonnie’s Lament, Lush Life, Mary’s Blues,  Mr. PC,  Moment’s Notice, My Favorite Things,  My One and Only Love, Naima, Nita*, Oleo, Omicron*, Paul’s Pal, Pursuance,  Russian Lullaby*, So What, Softly as a Morning Sunrise,  Some Other Blues, Spiral,  Syeeda’s Song Flute, Theme for Ernie,  26-2,  Velvet Scene*,  We Six* and Witches Pit*.  (The titles starred * I have never heard of)

You might look through this list and think that you already have many of these transcriptions in your collection but how readable are they?  That is a big deal for me as I like having music that is easy to read  as I work through the solos I am working on.  Ease of readability is a huge plus in my book.

Just so you know, the John Coltrane Omnibook doesn’t seem to have key signatures in it.  Instead they have opted for accidentals for the notes that need them.  This might seem like a strange choice but I actually like it.  When you are dealing with (sheets of sound-meaning tons of notes all played incredibly fast) I find it kind of nice to not have to worry about key signatures.  What you see in front of the note dictates what it is…………Nice!ColtraneOmni

 

The other element of the book that looks impressive are the chord symbols.  If you look through the book you see a ton of interesting chord symbols: F7#9, G7#5(#9), A13(b9), F13sus,etc…………    I haven’t had time to go through every chord in the book but on first glance it looks like the transcribers did their work to the best of their ability.  No one puts an A13(b9) or F13sus unless they can hear those sounds.  That’s a good sign to me.  I like to see that……… It means someone listened to the recordings with a good enough ear that they heard (or thought they heard) those sounds and wrote it down.  Either way, they cared enough to do the work and try to nail down the sounds they heard……..I like that.

I am just starting to dig into the John Coltrane Omnibook but I really hope that they come out with a Coltrane Omnibook 2, 3 and 4.  Does this book magically impart  us with the ability to play Coltrane solos……….No!   But it does get us closer to deciphering them and implementing his vocabulary and licks into our own playing……….

Great job Hal Leonard.  I am grateful for this book…….It will keep me busy for many more years………..If you are interested in the John Coltrane Omnibook you can order it on Amazon at:

John Coltrane – Omnibook: for B-flat Instruments
John Coltrane – Omnibook: for C Instruments
John Coltrane Omnibook For E Flat Instruments
John Coltrane – Omnibook: For Bass Clef Instruments

if you have the book let me know what you think in the comments down below.    Thanks,   Steve

ColtraneOmni

Bird

PS.  As I finish this review I have the Charlie Parker Omnibook and the John Coltrane Omnibook side by side on my desk. I love how the cover of both have the profiles of Bird and Trane on the left side of the cover……..Nice touch.  If you don’t hear from me for awhile, I’ll be in the practice room practicing my Coltrane transcriptions………..

Links to all the Tunes I found on Youtube (If any don’t play in the future please let me know and I can look for other links to replace them):

Acknowledgement (Part 1)

Airegin

Alabama

All Blues

All or Nothing At All

Bessie’s Blues

Blue Train (Blue Trane)

Body and Soul

By the Numbers

Bye Bye Blackbird

Cattin’

Central Park West

Chasin’ the Trane

Countdown

Cousin Mary

Crescent

Eclypso

Equinox

Giant Steps

Goldsboro Express

Grand Central

Impressions

In A Sentimental Mood

India

Just for the Love

Lazy Bird

Like Sonny

Locomotion

Lonnie’s Lament

Lush Life

Mary’s Blues

Mr. P.C.

Moment’s Notice

My Favorite Things

My One and Only Love

Naima

Nita

Oleo

Omicron

Paul’s Pal

Pursuance (Part III)

Russian Lullabye

So What

Softly as in a Morning Sunrise

Some Other Blues

Spiral

Syeeda’s Song Flute

Theme for Ernie

26-2

Velvet Scene

We Six

Witches Pit

Disclosure: I received the book mentioned above for free from Hal Leonard in the hope that I would perhaps review it here my blog. If you purchase the book from any of the Amazon links above I will make a small commission that I will use to support this site. Regardless, I only review saxophone related products that I enjoy and believe will be good for other saxophone players to try also. Steve

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: John Coltrane, Omnibook, review, solos, tenor saxophone, Transcriptions

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarJason says

    November 20, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    Well, for some reason I had to buy this the minute I saw it, decent price on Amazon too.

    Reply
  2. AvatarTim Owen says

    November 30, 2013 at 5:41 pm

    Thanks for a well-considered review. When I first saw Omnibook in from of John Coltrane, I knew someone was INSPIRED! Can’t wait to get a look at it.

    Tim

    Reply
  3. AvatarPaul Adenote says

    December 29, 2013 at 6:45 am

    Nice review Neff. Just like you, after having the Bird edition, I pre-ordered the Trane Omnibook immediately I saw it on Amazon. I’m still busy…..

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      January 5, 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Paul, Yes, this book like the Omnibook will keep a player busy for a lifetime………….

      Reply
  4. AvatarPascal says

    November 21, 2017 at 11:47 am

    Why not in Bb ?

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      November 21, 2017 at 12:22 pm

      What do you mean? It is in Bb……..

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Favorite blog posts, November 2013 | Bret Pimentel, woodwinds says:
    March 14, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    […] Steve Neff reviews the new John Coltrane […]

    Reply
  2. The John Coltrane Omnibook Review – Sven's.Blog says:
    June 24, 2017 at 6:15 am

    […] Great review over on Steve Neff’s blog. Ordered already. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Cart

Subscribe to the Neffmusic Newsletter for the latest reviews and best deals delivered straight to your inbox every month. Join now and you will also receive my 40 Ultimate Michael Brecker Licks free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


Thanks for joining!


NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

Hello Steve,

I have not received my alto yet but have already gone through 14 lessons. I love your approach, style, knowledge and competence. I now regret so much to have stayed away from playing the sax for the past 45-50 years…(I am 65).  But It is never too late to get back to your first love. After 23 years in compuer sciences and 22 years in finances…I am now back to music for the rest of my life.

Doing some research on the net, I found this:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?1… Read more

Claude

Steve, just a note to say thanks.

I’ve been playing a long time, but your material, laid out in such a thoughtful way, helps me to understand concepts in a new and deeper way.

You are a true gift to the jazz community.

60 lessons and going strong,

Kevin Ledbetter

Kevin Ledbetter

Steve,

I have played for many years and have enjoyed going “back to the basics” in some of your lessons!  You have such a gift for explaining concepts.  As I have gotten older, some of the basic things have gotten muddled because I just play, not knowing why.  As I refresh myself with “why”, it increases my confidence and expands my playing.  Thank you so much for using your gift!  You are a blessing!

Julia

Your material is great! I got your New Altissimo Lesson 6 months ago and I have learned more from that than in all my 44 years of playing! I appreciate your down to earth teaching method and I really appreciate the heart that you teach with. I have been a subscriber to your lessons for the past 6 months and I have learned a great deal. Over that period of time I have had some questions and you have never failed to respond. Thanks! I have already recommended your lessons to a number of players in… Read more

Michael Byington

I want to thank you for your “Ultimate II-V-I Primer”  which has sent me off on a much better path to improvisation.  The primer and the four bound books I have will keep me busy for a long time.  I like your lessons for two reasons.  The lessons work and THEY ARE FUN.  Thanks again.

Robert

Robert
Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you for being you, your playing, your website and your desire to help others. I’m a professional musician in the US Army and I’ve visited your website almost every day since discovering it a couple of months ago. Your lessons are profound and easy to use. I’ve purchased most of your PDF books and now am starting to delve more into the video and audio lessons.  Thank you for being a great resource!
James

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin
Hi Steve, I have been shedding your materials for quite a while now and I love them! They are extremely well organized and presented and there are tons of ’em! I really appreciate your methodical approach and find myself referring students to your resources often.  Thanks so much!  
Kenyon Carter
First, I’m really excited about your materials! This site is a vast resource for any aspiring (and maybe already inspired) jazz musicians. I’m not a sax player, I play mandolin and fiddle, but have been learning jazz and playing weekly with a quintet for the past 6 months and have been struggling with all of the issues you get into in your lessons. I bought several books and lessons and plan to continue with some others as soon as I organize my practice routine. Thanks again for a great site … Read more
Tony Galfano

I must say again how much I appreciate all your material. Including the video tutorials. It help keep me focused and knowing what to aim for. And your laid back teaching style appeals to me too. 

Thanks

P

P
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane
I like so many other subscribers feel so encouraged by Steve’s learning techniques; you will enjoy reading the comments of praise others have left as you too will feel that you share a common view and path. I feel very lucky to have come across Neffmusic and that feeling will remain with you as you search through a treasure trove of learning materials on offer, you will quickly find the lessons that you are suited to. You will instantly recognize the unparalleled quality of Steve’s teaching … Read more
Stephen

Love your lessons!  I have been using your lesson packages for many months now, and am learning a lot.  It is so perfect for me with a very busy adult schedule and difficulty in taking jazz/improv music lessons from reputable instructors who live and hour or more away from me.

Lenore

Mr. Neff,  I want to thank you for sharing your God-given talents through your on-line lessons.  My husband, Michael, is blind, but he is a great sax player and he has been enjoying your lessons for quite some time now.  It’s not unusual for me to hear “Hey, babe, listen to THIS!” – and he will cut loose on his sax, just thrilled at what he learned during his session with you.  His excitement warms my heart!  You have no idea how much you have poured into my husband.  You have opened musical … Read more

Carole B

Never really had lessons before just kinda worked things out on my own. Was in a rut but your lessons are really helpful in opening melodic possibilities. Ur an awesome resource to the saxophone community. Thanks for sharing. 

Anthony
Steve’s monthly lessons are entirely valuable. Without brow beating, he tells you all the stuff you deep down know you really should be working on, instead of just relying on the same old patterns. In spite of the fact that you’re taking a video lesson, Steve’s presentation is comfortable and “real”. In a little more than a year, he’s developed a library of lessons that seem to offer any player a lifetime’s worth of practice material. I’m just glad I stumbled upon it.… Read more
Grant
I want to say something about Steve Neff’s series of lessons, Beginner Jazz Improvisation. For a couple of years I tried many beginner lessons and my problem was that there was a gap between lessons that were fairly simple and ones that I was not quite ready for and my progress stalled out. That problem was solved with the series Beginner Jazz Improvisation. He guides you step by step along the way and builds a foundation for learning jazz and blues. He leaves no question about what to practice … Read more
Pete
I have been a member of Neffmusic for more than a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it! I have not only been going thru the Dominant Bebop Scale lessons and book (OUTSTANDING!) but the mouthpiece reviews, solo clips and transcriptions are very interesting. Steve approach to beginning and intermediate improv have given me many new pathways to teach my high school jazz ensemble students. Congratulations Steve, great product!
Craig
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella
Steve really changed my way of practicing: I got a whole lot of new ideas for my playing the tenor.  His lessons are really helpful, give a lot stuff to practice and give clear answers to complicated stuff.  Steve has a lot of humor and I wish I had laughed so much in my former days with the horn.  All topics, from Blues to Approach note are dealt with clearness that wet ones appetite to play and practice that great ideas.
Uwe
I’ve been downloading your lessons for 4 months now (20 lesson) and I have noticed tremendous growth in my playing thus far! I’m so happy that I stumbled upon your site!
Bob
I can’t say enough about my membership at Neff Music. Steve has taken the mystery out of playing the saxophone well and improvising both jazz and rock music. Like most struggling players I have a load of all sorts of books on my shelf just gathering dust. Books that I didn’t understand or know how to put to use…or just have the time to go threw them. Steve’s lessons really simplify things and he puts it in a way that I can understand. They inspire me to keep pushing and having him as my guide or… Read more
Ken
Thank you for the wealth of helpful lessons you’ve provided over the years.  I truly feel as though it has improved my playing more than the 4 years I spent at Berklee… and that’s not a slight on the school as I loved my experience there.
John
John
I’ve been having ‘ online’  lessons with Steve for a few months now. Being a teacher myself I had had some reservations with the idea at first and the practicalities of it .  Let me just say that my playing has taken a huge leaps forward while studying with Steve and continues to do so.Steve studied with some renowned player/teachers such as Bergonzi and Garzone– this in itself is invaluable but Steve teaches from his own books, which cover a a vast amount of  jazz language. Steve h… Read more
David

Featured Video Lessons

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $19.99 Original price was: $19.99.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.
  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 4.91 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
    Rated 4.75 out of 5
    $9.99

Now over 600 video and audio lessons to choose from!

Free Lessons

  • Free Lesson on The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer-Major Keys
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering Altered Pentatonics
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Blues Scale Volume 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale and Language Book 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book

Recent reviews

  • Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson by Noah
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) by Andy
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Russ
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Timothy
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Ray Holland

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Ian on Otto Link Super Tone Master Florida V Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Alan Klingaman on Otto Link Super Tone Master Florida V Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Steve on Otto Link Super Tone Master Florida V Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Ian on Otto Link Super Tone Master Florida V Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Gerrit Schwab on Otto Link Super Tone Master V 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Top rated products

  • Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $14.99
  • Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1 The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Invitation Tune of the Week-Invitation
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99

Product tags

alto sax alto saxophone approach notes audio lesson bebop scale beginner beginner saxophone blues blues licks blues patterns blues scale blues scales diminished scale dominant chords ear training fundamentals II-V-I improvisation jazz improvisation jazz lines jazz patterns jazz sax jazz saxophone jazz standard jazz standards licks Mastering the Blues Scale Michael Brecker modern improv modern improvisation online lesson patterns playing outside practice habits reading music sax basics sax lessons saxophone scales smooth jazz steve neff tenor sax tenor saxophone video lesson video lessons
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • SUPPORT

Neffmusic © 2005–2025