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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

Morgan Fry Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 14, 2014 by Steve 6 Comments

Today, I am reviewing another mouthpiece made by Morgan Fry. Morgan Fry is a great mouthpiece maker and refacer in England.  I have reviewed some of his mouthpieces in the past and had him do some refacing work for me.  I have always been impressed with his work and craftsmanship. If you do a search […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: ebonite, jazz sax, morgan fry, mouthpiece review, tenor mouthpiece

Great Joshua Redman Interview

March 13, 2014 by Steve 3 Comments

Here’s a great Joshua Redman interview that someone shared on facebook.   I was blown away by the honesty and sincerity of Joshua Redman.  You don’t get any sense that he is trying to act or pretend like he is something he is not.   He’s just being honest and sincere to who he is.  Joshua Redman […]

Filed Under: Jazz Videos Tagged With: interview, jazz saxophone, joshua redman, tenor sax

Morgan Fry Ebonite Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 12, 2014 by Steve 3 Comments

Today, I am excited to review a new mouthpiece made by Morgan Fry.  Morgan Fry is a great mouthpiece maker and refacer in England.  I have reviewed some of his mouthpieces in the past and had him do some refacing work for me and have always been impressed with his work and craftsmanship.    If you […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, ebonite, jazz sax, morgan fry, mouthpiece review

Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz and Funk Soloing

February 25, 2014 by Steve 19 Comments

I just finished a brand new Neffmusic book that I am very excited about.  The description is below: An inside approach to outside playing using pentatonics, chromaticism, 3-tonic systems and intervallic patterns to produce modern lines in the style of Michael Brecker and Bob Berg.  Devastating Minor Lines contains 100 16th note lines written out […]

Filed Under: NeffMusic News Tagged With: Berg, Brecker, Jazz Improvisation, minor licks, modern lines, saxophone

Saxophone Microphone Review and Audio Shootout

February 19, 2014 by Steve 49 Comments

I recently had a member on my site (Walter Ruckdeschel)  post an in-depth review of 8 different  stand mounted microphones that can be used for live gigs.  I was so fascinated that I asked him if I could post his finding here for everyone to see.  If I didn’t have my hands full teaching and […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Beyerdynamic, Electro Voice, live mics, microphone sound clips, Rode, saxophone, Sennheiser, Shure, Walter Ruckdeschel

FREE 12 Blues Scales Sheet

February 4, 2014 by Steve 19 Comments

Here’s a free sheet I give to all my students after they learn their major scales. It’s just a sheet with all the 12 Blues Scales on it. When I teach my students to use the blues scale I teach them to try to move off the #4 note quickly when playing. Many student who […]

Filed Under: Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: free sheet, students

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

January 29, 2014 by Steve 7 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a mouthpiece made by Jennifer Price at Vigilante Mouthpieces. There are 10 models to choose from on the Vigilante website. Today, I am reviewing the Detroit Rock which is the brightest mouthpiece that they make. (I also just did a review of the NYII to which is their 4th brightest mouthpiece) […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Detroit Rock, Guardala, Jennifer Price, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Vigilante

Vigilante NYII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

January 28, 2014 by Steve 22 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a mouthpiece made by Jennifer Price at Vigilante Mouthpieces.  There are 10 models to choose from on the Vigilante website.  Today, I am reviewing the New York II which is the 4th brightest mouthpiece that they make.  (I also have a Detroit Rock to review next which is their brightest mouthpiece.) […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Guardala, Jennifer Price, Michael Brecker, NYII, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Mouthpiece Recording Test Survey

January 28, 2014 by Steve 8 Comments

I have been experimenting lately with different recording distances and settings for my mouthpiece reviews.  Usually, I record dry with no effects about 2 feet from the microphone. I’ve noticed that darker sounding mouthpieces can sound rich and beautiful in this setting but many times the brighter more powerful mouthpieces can sound harsh, shrill, edgy, […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: microphone, recording, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Best Neffmusic Lesson Commercial?

January 15, 2014 by Steve 5 Comments

I just found this post from a number of years ago.  All the links were broken and the videos didn’t play.    I thought I’d fix the videos and post this again as I think these are funny.  My wife made these as a joke for the site.  They are a bit “Hollywood” and over the […]

Filed Under: NeffMusic News Tagged With: intros, Neffmusic Lessons, steve neff, video lesson

Joel Frahm Jazz Improvisation Clinic

December 24, 2013 by Steve 16 Comments

I emailed Joel Frahm the other day and asked if I could post this great masterclass he did in Prague years ago.  He said “No problem” which I was very excited about.  I have been a great fan of his going back many years.   I went through a stage where I was listening to a […]

Filed Under: Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: jazz clinic, jazz sax, Joel Frahm, masterclass, tenor saxophone

Absolute “Alto+” Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

December 18, 2013 by Steve 5 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a mouthpiece made by the Absolute company. These are made in Italy and this model is called the “Alto +”. There is also an Alto AL, Alto ST and an Alto R model on their website. You can also find all these models for Baritone, Soprano and Tenor saxophones as well.  […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Absolute, Alto Saxophone, sax mouthpiece, ST

Absolute Alto ST Saxophone Mouthpiece

December 18, 2013 by Steve 5 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a mouthpiece made by the Absolute company. These are made in Italy and this model is called the “Alto ST”.  There is also an Alto AL, Alto + and a Alto R model on their website. You can also find all these models for Baritone, Soprano and Tenor saxophones as well. […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Absolute, Alto Saxophone, sax mouthpiece, ST

Absolute “Soprano +” Saxophone Mouthpiece

December 18, 2013 by Steve 6 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a mouthpiece made by the Absolute company.  These are made in Italy and this model is called the “Soprano +”.  (I call it a ST model in the recording but it is the + model)   There is also a Soprano AL, Soprano ST and a Soprano R model on their website. […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Absolute, bill evans, mouthpiece review, sax mouthpiece, soprano saxophone

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Testimonials

Steve,  Just want to say thanks for all you are doing for all of us. I’ve learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.

If you can give some tips on One Note Samba, Ceora, and Wave… that would be cool.  I really like learning how you apply your concepts to actual songs!

Have a great year,

Kevin Ledbetter

I've learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.
Just a brief note to compliment you on your teaching skills and in particular for the honesty of your lessons.  I am a returning alto sax player in my 50’s and I was looking for a no nonsense, straight to the point kind of guidance. I had intended to email you with a few questions regarding the use of the bis key but then I noticed that there was a lesson on that specific topic and after viewing it,  all my questions were answered. I once took a group lesson with a well known professional sax … Read more
Patrick
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
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
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
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
Your lessons on playing the blues is so clear . I have been through many books on blues playing and not one of them explains as clear as your lessons . Most of them say “Play the same blues scale over all three chords of a 12 bar blues ” Its very misleading .     Thanks
Martin
I just started looking at my lessons and I have to say, dude you are awesome.  I ABSOLUTELY will learn from you!  I started the tenor about 1 ½ yrs ago and have since picked up an alto, and more recently a soprano.  I spend most of the time on the tenor, followed by soprano, and have only gotten to the alto a few times.  I think I’ll be sticking with tenor.  I’m having a great time and hope one day to play well enough to get regular gigs.  I’ve been playing keys for about 35 years (… Read more
Wil
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella
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!
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
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
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
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 want to let you know that your instructional material is transforming my playing.  It is an immense pleasure to learn and play now, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am. The instructional material I got from you is by far the best of any I own (and I have over 100 books, DVDs, and what not). I literally can’t thank you enough! Deric
Deric

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
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 have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
It is so refreshing to have a great player, who can provide lessons and examples in a manner which is understandable to most any enthusiastic saxophonist who is ready to improve. not just the, do this, do that, memorize this, memorize that… while all that is absolutely necessary, you go on to give reasons and examples to explain and validate why you have to do all of these things, the benefits, if you will… that is the key for me, you tell, explain, demonstrate, explain some more, you give perso… Read more
Cedric

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
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
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
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
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

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