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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

Rafael Navarro Bahia Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

November 1, 2012 by Steve 14 Comments

This is a new metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Rafael Navarro.  There has been a lot of “buzz” going on about the Navarro line of mouthpieces over the last few months.  As of this review, Rafael has 3 models available for the tenor saxophone. The Maestra, the Bahia and the Bob Mintzer Bebop Special. All […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Bahia, Rafael Navarro, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Marmaduke Hard Rubber Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

October 23, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

Today, I am reviewing another alto saxophone mouthpiece that is made by Alex Miyatake in Japan.   I have reviewed two of his Marmaduke alto mouthpieces in the past but this one I’m reviewing today is a new version that has had some modification made to it from the older versions.   This alto mouthpieces […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, hard rubber, Marmaduke, sax mouthpiece

Rafael Navarro Maestra Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

September 18, 2012 by Steve 26 Comments

This is a new metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Rafael Navarro. There has been a lot of “buzz” going on about the Navarro line of mouthpieces over the last few months.  As of this review,  Rafael has 3 models available for the tenor saxophone.  The Maestra, the Bahia and the Bob Mintzer Bebop Special.  All […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Maestra, Rafael Navarro, review, sax mouthpiece, sound clip, tenor saxophone

Steve’s Ultimate Real Book

September 7, 2012 by Steve 13 Comments

Back in the 1980’s when I left high school for college I learned of a book called the Real Book that had hundreds of great jazz tunes in it. Up until that point in my life I had never heard of it.   The only tunes I knew were a bunch of Charlie Parker heads and […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education Tagged With: jazz songs, jazz standards, jazz tunes, Real Book

Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

June 18, 2012 by Steve 7 Comments

This is a new metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Pete Thomas.  The  PPT metal mouthpieces have similar internal dimensions to the Onyxite PPT that I reviewed a few years ago.  The facings are based on Ed Pillinger’s original facings, and are machined from solid brass.  They are then hand finished by Morgan Fry.  Morgan Fry […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ed Pillinger, morgan fry, Pete Thomas, PPT, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Morgan Fry Rhodium Large Chamber Tenor Mouthpiece

June 2, 2012 by Steve 15 Comments

This is a new mouthpiece by Morgan Fry.  Morgan Fry is a great mouthpiece refacer over in England.  He is now making his very own mouthpieces and has a few different models listed on his website.  This tenor sax mouthpiece is called the Rhodium Large Chambered mouthpiece. Brian at Sax-ccesories in California was nice enough […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: morgan fry, otto link, rhodium, sax mouthpiece, silver, tenor saxophone

Chris Potter Plays Acapella Solo Standards by Eli Bennett Review

March 27, 2012 by Steve 2 Comments

Chris Potter has been one of my favorite tenor saxophone players for about the last 10 years.  I remember being on a gig somewhere and a friend of mine said “Have you heard Chris Potter?”   When I said “No”, he just shook his head and said  “Dude, you’ve got to check this guy out!”  I […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: chris potter, Eli Bennett, jazz transcriptions, saxophone solos, tenor sax

Aizen Gold JazzMaster Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 22, 2012 by Steve 2 Comments

This is a new Aizen Gold JazzMaster tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I received in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  It is a 7* tip opening which is a .105.  If you follow my blog regularly, then you will already know that I have reviewed a number of  Aizen hard rubber mouthpieces for the […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Aizen, gold, Jazzmaster, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Macsax D Model Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 17, 2012 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new MacSax alto saxophone mouthpiece that is made by Eric Falcon. I have reviewed a number of other mouthpieces in the past that were made or refaced by Eric Falcon which I loved.  This mouthpiece is the D model and is made of hard rubber. MacSax D Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto sax, D model.hard rubber, Eric Falcon, MacSax, saxophone mouthpiece

SaxZ Dave Sanborn Hard Rubber Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

February 7, 2012 by Steve 21 Comments

This is a SaxZ “Dave Sanborn” hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece.  SaxZ is a company in Japan which is run by Mitsu Watanabe.  I have reviewed a metal SAXZ Dave Sanborn model in the past and was curious to try the hard rubber model.   This mouthpiece has an 8 tip opening. SaxZ Dave Sanborn Hard […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto sax, Dave Sanborn, hard rubber, saxophone mouthpiece, SaxZ

Lamberson F Major Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

February 6, 2012 by Steve 3 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Fred Lamberson F Major alto saxophone mouthpiece. Fred Lamberson has been making great mouthpieces for years. He hasn’t been making as many in recent years so they are harder to find recently. Most of the sax players who have one seem to be hanging on to them, as you don’t […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, delrin, F Major, Fred Lamberson, sax mouthpiece

MacSax FJIII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

January 23, 2012 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new MacSax tenor saxophone mouthpiece that is made by Eric Falcon.  I have reviewed a number of other mouthpieces in the past that were made or refaced by Eric Falcon including the LA tenor mouthpiece which I loved.  This mouthpiece is named the FJIII.  I have no idea why it […]

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

Marmaduke Large Chamber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

January 16, 2012 by Steve 10 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new Marmaduke large chambered tenor saxophone mouthpiece that is made by Alex Miyatake in Japan.  This tenor mouthpiece  has a larger chamber than the first Marmaduke mouthpiece I reviewed here.  If you click on this link you can compare the clips to see how these two mouthpieces sound.  They were […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alex Miyatake, large chamber, Marmaduke, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

Let’s Get It On Lamberson 7DD Tenor Mouthpiece

January 12, 2012 by Steve 3 Comments

Here’s a video clip that has been on my site since it started years ago.  I made this video back in 2006 when I was part of a great Boston function band “Soho”.  This is a cover of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye.  I take a small solo towards the end of the […]

Filed Under: Live Recordings Tagged With: 7DD, Lamberson, Let's Get It On, sax mouthpiece, steve neff, tenor saxophone

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NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

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
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 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
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
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

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.

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
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 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

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 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

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

Thank You Steve. I think that I will be busy for years. Thank You for your great contribution to jazz music. Your books, more than teaching “how to play jazz”, actually teach “how to speak jazz”. I wish I found your methods years ago.  

Jean-Eric
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

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
For anyone living in remote areas away from live jazz sax teachers, Neff is the way to go. In fact this is a great resource for anyone seriously interested in mastering the sax. I’ve never been disappointed in a lesson.
Oliver
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 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
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

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 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
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)
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

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

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