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You are here: Home / NeffMusic News / Up Close and Personal Interview with Steve Neff on Everything Saxophone Podcast

Up Close and Personal Interview with Steve Neff on Everything Saxophone Podcast

July 23, 2019 by Steve 2 Comments

If any of you are interested in my background and views on a variety of subjects related to music, the saxophone and life, I was interviewed by Donna Schwartz for the “Everything Saxophone Podcast” a couple of weeks ago. Donna asked some great questions and we were able to discuss some personal subjects having to do with my history, the website, my health, mouthpiece reviews, various saxophone related topics and much more.  I hope you find it interesting……… Steve

Steve Neff Interview on Everything Saxophone Podcast

Nick Mainella and Donna Schwartz run the “Everything Saxophone Podcast” and have interviewed 62 saxophonists for their podcast so far. I find it a great podcast to listen to when I am out driving or traveling. They cover a variety of topics with each player they interview and keep the podcast interesting. Check it out!

Filed Under: NeffMusic News, Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Donna Schwartz, Everything Saxophone Podcast, interview, steve neff

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.

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Comments

  1. AvatarSammy says

    August 8, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    Hi Steve, I read your review on Theo Wanne’s new LAKSHMI Tenor mouthpiece and decided to pull the trigger and get one. Its a 7* and its awesome! I love playing it so much I retired my old Early Babbitt Metal Otto Link 7* that I have been playing for the past 20 some odd years. Thanks for your review on it, you nailed it.
    Now I’m in a quandary and in search of an Alto Sax mouthpiece. I have a Meyer 6 LTD and a Meyer 100th Anniversary which Simon at Tenor Madness picked out for me, its also a 6. I also have a Theo Wanne DURGA 1 it’s a 7 and it’s too bright. Out of all the Meyer 100 Anniversary that Simon pick out for me is my go to mouthpiece. Unfortunately, Simon is no longer with Tenor Madness, so I thought I would pick your brain and ask if you have had the opportunity to play the new Early Babbitt Connoisseur alto sax mouthpiece? Or do you know anything about it? Is it better than their 100th year anniversary model? I have been researching reviews on it but haven’t found enough info to pull the trigger and buy one yet. Also, I’m considering The Theo Wanne Gaia 3. hard rubber or maybe metal. You gave real good reviews on it. I play in bands that play a variety of everything from classic rock, r&b, light jazz, old country, ballads etc. I play mostly tenor and I’m mic’d. Playing Alto is a completely different animal for me. It’s either too bright or too stuffy. As you well know once you’re on the band stand, acoustics change to the room and the “proof is in the pudding” of what will work and what will not. I play an early 80’s Yamaha YTS62 Purple Logo Tenor, an early Ref 54 alto and a mid 60’s MK VI alto. I put the MK VI neck on the Ref 54 and I like it’s sound better. I also have a couple of old tenor Bueschers. a TH&C and a Super 400. Thanks so much for taking the time to read all of this. Your reviews are so helpful and are very much appreciated. Please keep up the good work. Sammy

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      August 9, 2022 at 11:54 am

      Sammy, I am working on a review of the new Meyer Bros NY alto mouthpieces as I type this. I have the sound clips and am writing it up now. I can say I am very impressed with these two mouthpieces (I have a 7 and 8 tip opening). I was very impressed with the Meyers you mentioned as well but these Connoisseur mouthpieces seem to have something special to the way they blow that I really dig. Hopefully the review will be of some help to you.

      Reply

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Hey Steve, My name is Jason Freese and I play keyboards and sax in the band Green Day.  I grew up taking sax lessons from Eric Marienthal when I was a kid and got out of it for a long time. I ran into you on youtube while searching for sax stuff. I bought a whole bunch of your lessons and have been loving it! Thanks! Here is my wikipedia so you can see the albums I’ve played on….Thanks again. It’s sparked my interest in practicing again.   Jason
Jason Freese (sax player for Green Day)
I bought Steve’s dominant bebop book and took a couple of online lesson from him. I really appreciated Steve’s careful listening of what I wanted to get done in a lesson and his clear, concise ideas on next steps to improve my playing and musical interpretation.  His mastering  the Dominant Bebop Scale has lots of exercises to use a scale that addresses the largest percentage of chords I come across in pop/blues music. The dominant V7.  Needless say it has improved my playing.  I teach and a… Read more
Keith
Hi Steve, I can’t express just how much I appreciate your teaching. My playing has improved so much over the past year since I have been studying and practicing with your lessons. It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, these lessons are proof! Thanks, Michael Byington
Michael Byington
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
Your major diatonic patterns book is great. I”m studying the first twenty patterns (first twenty pages) each day with different articulation each day and slowly increasing the tempo each week or so.  There is a noticeable improvement in finger coordination across all keys and its amazing how much more secure I feel on the difficult keys when attempting to play pieces with 5+ flats/sharps. I’m able to sort out the fingerings for these pieces now much more quickly than before, often in one or two … Read more
Geoff

I want to thank you again, because, not only are you an inspiration to listen to, you are a fine teacher!

I have been teaching sax and other winds for over 20 years, and you give me that “push” to give my students more!

Mark Peotter

Mark Peotter
Hi Steve, I live in a gorgeous but rural area of Oregon-no music store within 80 miles. Your lessons are my lifeline!  Truly the best there are anywhere online. Love your playing. Love your teaching.  Thanks again. Ed
Ed Woodmansee
I’m an experienced player in the pop/soul/funk areas of music and, previously, classical.  Over the decades I’ve been playing, I’ve always felt that I could do what I needed in those styles of music.  However, recently I began to feel limited by my use of the same old licks. When I discovered Steve Neff’s website, and heard the audio examples based on the exercises in his books, I realized they were what I needed.  I purchased all of them and have been working on them since.  It’s very hard work… Read more
Paul
Thank you so much for the great job you are doing to help further our jazz studies. Though I make my living as a repairer of musical instruments I am a student of jazz and have been fortunate enough to be involved with a big band and a combo for the last several years. As my children began to leave “the nest” I had decided to dedicate the next half of my life to a more serious study of the sax but I didn’t know exactly how I would go about doing this until a friend of mine turned me onto your si… Read more
Jon
Thanks so much for putting all this great learning material out there. I don’t often have the time to take a lesson with a teacher, so the ability to download lessons is really invaluable. My playing has improved enormously (I think :)) – and the lessons are so varied there’s always something to be inspired by. Incredible value too!
Roger

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