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Hi! I am Steve Neff

I have been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for the last 30+ years. I love teaching and anything to do with the saxophone. I hope you find this website helpful in your musical journey. Thanks, Steve

Macsax Soco Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

December 17, 2019 by Steve 4 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Macsax Soco 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece (formerly the FJ III model, I reviewed an original FJ III 8 years ago!).  I was contacted by Jeff Gjertsen at Macsax earlier this year and asked if I would be willing to review the brand new line of Macsax tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  Of […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: FJIII, MacSax, mouthpiece, review, sax, Soco, tenor saxophone

Saxscape Fat Cat Classic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

December 11, 2019 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Saxscape Fat Cat Classic 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece that Ken Barry at Saxscape mouthpieces recently sent me to try out and perhaps review.  Earlier this year, I reviewed a Saxscape Live model tenor sax mouthpiece that I thought was superb and when Ken asked if I would like to review […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Fat Cat Classic, Ken Barry, mouthpiece, review, sax, Saxscape, slim profile, tenor saxophone

Doug Webb Swingin’ Rhythm Changes Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

December 5, 2019 by Steve 6 Comments

Here is a great solo by the tenor saxophone player Doug Webb.  Doug is a fantastic tenor player from the west coast (Los Angeles area).  I own a bunch of his albums including a Christmas CD entitled “Home for Christmas” which is my go to Christmas music when my family wants Christmas music but I […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Doug Webb, jazz sax, Moose the Mooche, rhythm changes, solo transcription, tenor saxophone

Morgan Excalibur Indiana Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 19, 2019 by Steve 11 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Morgan Excalibur Indiana model tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Erik Greiffenhagen, at Morgan mouthpieces.  Morgan mouthpieces used to be owned by Ralph Morgan who sadly passed away in 2007.  Ralph worked designing instruments and mouthpieces for Selmer for many decades and in the early 80’s started his own mouthpiece company […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: excalibur, hard rubber, Indiana, morgan, review, sax, saxophone, tenor mouthpiece

The Rhythm Book-Crossrhythms on 4/4 by Rory Stuart Review

November 18, 2019 by Steve Leave a Comment

Today, I am reviewing “The Rhythm Book-Crossrhythms on 4/4” by Rory Stuart that is published by Rhythm & Dues.  Rory Stuart has written a great beginning book for those of you who want to understand rhythm and notation in a deeper way that I reviewed as well as an intermediate book of more advanced concepts […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: crossrhythms, music education, performance styles, review, Rory Stuart, sight reading, The Rhythm Book

RPC Gold Series 110B Ultem Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 1, 2019 by Steve 15 Comments

I sadly found out that Ron Coelho passed away on 12/24/19. We had a long conversation in October before this review was posted. Even though I only talked to Ron a couple times over the years, this last conversation was like talking to a good friend. We talked about everything you could think of having […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 110, medium baffle, review, Ron Coelho, RPC, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Ultem

The Rhythm Book-Rhythmic Development and Performance in 4/4 by Rory Stuart Review

October 4, 2019 by Steve 7 Comments

Today, I am reviewing “The Rhythm Book-Rhythmic Development and Performance in 4/4” by Rory Stuart that is published by Rhythm & Dues.  Rory Stuart has written a great beginning book for those of you who want to understand rhythm and notation in a deeper way that I reviewed as well as an intermediate book of […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: music education, performance styles, review, Rhythmic Development, Rory Stuart, sight reading, The Rhythm Book

Can You Hear a Difference Poll? Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Comparison

September 27, 2019 by Steve 21 Comments

This blog post is a follow up to my “Does the mouthpiece material make a difference? Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Comparison” post.  I am purposefully not putting a link to that article because I don’t want anyone to cheat. I will write it again, please do not cheat!  The purpose of this […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: comparison, Gaia 3, review, saxophone mouthpiece, sound clips, tenor sax, Theo Wanne

Drake Phil Woods Master Series Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

September 25, 2019 by Steve 26 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Drake Master Series Phil Woods alto saxophone mouthpiece made by Aaron Drake at Drake mouthpieces.  This alto mouthpiece is advertised as  “a near identical replica of the mouthpiece that Phil Woods played for over 40 years.”  Don’t worry about the wording of “near identical”, this does not mean it is […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, alto sax, Alto Saxophone, Meyer, mouthpiece, Phil Woods, review

Does the mouthpiece material make a difference? Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Comparison

September 16, 2019 by Steve 42 Comments

This blog post is about the age old question “Does the material a saxophone mouthpiece is made of make a difference?”  I have read hundreds, if not thousands of discussions on this subject since my earliest days on the internet in the 90’s.  Many of these online discussions would get quite heated with one side […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: comparison, Gaia 3, review, saxophone mouthpiece, sound clips, tenor sax, Theo Wanne

SYOS Godwin Louis Signature Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

September 11, 2019 by Steve 5 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Godwin Louis 6* alto saxophone mouthpiece from a fairly new company called SYOS mouthpieces in France.  This company hit the saxophone mouthpiece scene not too long ago and immediately caught the world’s attention by producing these really bright colored 3D printed saxophone mouthpieces made of plastic. I must admit, that […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Godwin Louis, review, sax mouthpiece, Signature Model, SYOS

Swingin’ Phil Woods Stolen Moments Alto Sax Solo Transcription

September 9, 2019 by Steve 13 Comments

Here is a swingin’ alto saxophone solo by the great alto sax player Phil Woods.  Someone posted this recording on Facebook earlier this month and I was blown away when I heard it as I had never heard this Phil Woods recording before. I have been playing a Drake Phil Woods model alto saxophone mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: alto sax, jazz saxophone, Phil Woods, solo transcription, Stolen Moments

Retro Revival Tru-Slant Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

August 30, 2019 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am reviewing another Retro Revival tenor saxophone mouthpiece called the Tru-Slant.  This is a tenor sax mouthpiece modeled after the Otto Link Slant Signature hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpieces from the 60’s. These tenor saxophone mouthpieces are made by Joel Peskin (iReedMan) and Bob Sheppard at Retro Revival. In the past I have […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: otto link, Retro Revival, review, sax mouthpiece, slant, tenor saxophone, Tru-Slant

Gottsu Sepia Tone Jazz Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

August 26, 2019 by Steve 20 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Gottsu mouthpieces in Japan.  I had received some emails from a few different fans of my site who were impressed with the Gottsu sax mouthpieces they had played and I decided to reach out to the Gottsu company and see if I could review some of […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Gottsu, Jazz Metal, review, sax mouthpiece, Sepia Tone, tenor saxophone

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Testimonials

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
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 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 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
Hey Steve, I’m a 22-year-old from Australia. I thought it would be worth saying. You’re an absolute legend. I can’t thank you enough. You have helped me rekindle my love for the saxophone and music as a whole. All the best for the future, your work doesn’t go unnoticed. PS. I am loving your devastating minor lines pdf.
Sapph
I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.   I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more  bite sized way.
Milton
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
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

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
Just to say thanks for your advice and lessons.  I’ve just read your amazing story.  I really appreciate what you do in regards to teaching.  I have bought a couple of your lessons and frankly they’re undersold.   I’ve learned much more with these two lessons than with 2 years of sax teachers.   Thanks so much………..
Mike

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
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 just wanted to write a thank you note to you for this website. I play and teach saxophone, but I have always been intimidated by the gear aspect. Your website has helped me become a lot more knowledgable. Your knowledge is staggering! I’m telling all my students about your website. Pierre
Pierre
I am a music book junkie and I have to say that your books are the most clear, user friendly, and helpful books I own.  They are my absolute favorites and I only wish I had them years ago.  I wouldn’t change a thing about the experience I had in acquiring my degree at Berklee, but my playing has perhaps grown more in the time I’ve spent buried in your books and lessons.  Keep up the great work!!! Thanks, John
John
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
Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
Tony

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

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

Hi Steve,

First, I want to thank you for all of your great lessons. They are like a “For Dummies” version of all the books on my shelf. The lessons break things down into manageable pieces, and give me the confidence that I’m practicing the right pieces. I’m starting to make progress.   Thank You,   Kim

Kim
Two years later I began a search for a sax teacher and happened to come across Steve Neff when I was searching YouTube for sax teachers.  I went to neffmusic.com and was very impressed with the lessons Steve Neff was offering.  The concept of selecting lessons was an approach that I thought was unique and purchased a few lessons.  I liked the lessons so much that I signed-up for a 6 month package. I was very happy with all the lessons I selected.  I also purchased Steve’s book Mastering the B… Read more
Michael
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
I have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
By the way, BIG COMPLIMENTS to you, Steve! Not only are you a great player, you are also a great teacher! I, too, am a woodwinds player/teacher. I have new inspiration to play and teach because of you. The concepts and “thinking” is similar to what I already learned in College, but hearing you explain and PLAY the concepts REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! Also, your written patterns are more interesting than other books I have seen! Keep up the good work. I will be recommending your sit… Read more
I will be recommending your site to others!

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

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