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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

Jon Van Wie Meyer Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

May 1, 2011 by Steve 13 Comments

This is a modern Meyer tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I recently bought.  This one is a 7 that was refaced by the late great Jon Van Wie to a .105 tip opening.  I knew that if Jon Van Wie had refaced it then it would be a great example of what a Meyer could do.  […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Jon Van Wie, JVW refaced, Meyer, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

Chris Potter and Joe Lovano Video

April 22, 2011 by Steve 2 Comments

Here’s a great video of Chris Potter and Joe Lovano playing together in NYC. The first two clicks are of the jazz standard Four. The last one is of Bye Bye Blackbird. It’s amazing to see these two masters playing together. You can tell they really enjoy each others playing. This is some pretty hardcore […]

Filed Under: Jazz Videos Tagged With: chris potter, Four, Joe Lovao, tenor saxophone

Warburton Modular Sax Neck System

April 18, 2011 by Steve 8 Comments

I have an exciting product to review today.  It is the Warburton Modular Sax Neck.  This is one of the coolest products I have ever tried.  Whoever thought of it is a genius.  Basically, it is a neck that has no tenon or cork on it.  The two items that are missing can be screwed […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: initiator, Modular Sax Neck, tenon, Warburton

Bending Notes on the Saxophone

April 16, 2011 by Steve Leave a Comment

A great sax player has mastered the art of bending and shaping  their notes to express what they want to convey.  It might be a mood, attitude or emotion.  There is no doubt that bending notes adds excitement and emotion to a solo.  Bending notes on the saxophone is one of the coolest things that […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: bend notes, saxophone, steve neff, throat, tongue, voicing notes

Warburton LA Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

April 14, 2011 by Steve 46 Comments

This is a Warburton LA tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today.   This tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .110 tip opening and is silver plated.  These are made by the great mouthpiece refacer Eric Falcon down in Florida. I have done a number of reviews in the past on other mouthpieces that Eric […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Eric Falcon, LA model, tenor saxophone, Warburton mouthpieces

Warburton J Series Hard Rubber Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

April 6, 2011 by Steve 4 Comments

This is a Warburton J series hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today. This tenor saxophone mouthpiece has an .110 tip opening.  These are made by the great mouthpiece refacer Eric Falcon down in Florida.  I had done a review in the past of the Alto and Soprano models and Eric was […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Eric Falcon, hard rubber, J series, tenor saxophone, Warburton mouthpieces

Warburton A Series 16 Degree Alto Sax Mouthpiece

April 5, 2011 by Steve 4 Comments

This is a Warburton A series 16 degree alto saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today.  This alto saxophone mouthpiece has an 7  tip opening. It is silver plated and came with a Rovner light ligature.  These are made by the great mouthpiece refacer Eric Falcon down in Florida. I received a few of these […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 16 degree, Alto Saxophone, Eric Falcon, Warburton mouthpieces

Warburton A Series 12 Degree Alto Sax Mouthpiece

April 5, 2011 by Steve 1 Comment

This is a Warburton A series 12 degree alto saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today. This alto saxophone mouthpiece has an 8 tip opening. It is silver plated and came with a Rovner light ligature. These are made by the great mouthpiece refacer Eric Falcon down in Florida. I received a few of these […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 12 degree, Alto Saxophone, Eric Falcon, Warburton mouthpieces

Warburton A Series 16 Degree Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

April 5, 2011 by Steve 1 Comment

This is a Warburton A series 16 degree tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today.  This tenor saxophone mouthpiece has an 7* tip opening which is a .105.   It is silver plated and came with a Rovner light ligature.   These are made by the great mouthpiece refacer Eric Falcon down in Florida. […]

Filed Under: Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 16 degree, Eric Falcon, tenor saxophone, Warburton mouthpieces

Warburton A Series 12 Degree Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

April 5, 2011 by Steve 2 Comments

This is a Warburton A series 12 degree tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing.   This tenor saxophone mouthpiece has an 7* tip opening which is a .105.   It is silver plated and came with a Rovner light ligature.  These are made by the great mouthpiece refacer Eric Falcon down in Florida. I […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 12 degree, Eric Falcon, tenor saxophone, Warburton mouthpieces

Warburton A Series 8 Degree Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

April 4, 2011 by Steve 2 Comments

This is a Warburton A series 8 degree tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today.  This tenor saxophone mouthpiece has an 8* tip opening which is about .115.  It is silver plated and came with a Rovner light ligature.  These are made by Eric Falcon who was kind enough to send me some to […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 8 degree, Eric Falcon, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Warburton

Killer Kenny Garrett solo with Miles

March 23, 2011 by Steve 5 Comments

Here’s a great video of Kenny Garrett playing a solo on the tune Human Nature.  He’s playing with Miles Davis in Paris.  I remember getting this video in the early 90’s.  I never heard of Kenny Garrett before and this solo blew me away.  I must have watched it a thousand times.  I would play […]

Filed Under: Jazz Videos Tagged With: Human Nature, Kenny Garrett, Miles Davis

9 Great Alto Saxophone Mouthpieces to Compare

March 14, 2011 by Steve 81 Comments

The most common question I get asked on this blog and in emails is  “Steve, which mouthpiece is the best?”  “Which one should I buy”.   I probably get 3-4 emails a week asking that question.   I always feel bad because I wish there was a simple answer to that.  The truth is that […]

Filed Under: Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: acoustimax, Aizen, Alto Saxophone, Meyer, sax mouthpieces, Ted Klum, Theo Wanne

Jon Van Wie Modern Meyer 6MM Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 12, 2011 by Steve 11 Comments

This is a modern Meyer that was refaced by the late great Jon Van Wie.  I had Jon work on a few tenor mouthpieces for me and his work was always great.  I don’t think I ever had him work on an alto mouthpiece so this is a real treat for me to play this […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Jon Van Wie, JVW, Meyer, refaced, sax mouthpiece

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Testimonials

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
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
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

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

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

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
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
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 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
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

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 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

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
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
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’ve been a member of Steve’s site for about six months now and the difference it has made to my playing is immeasurable. The (many) benefits of this membership are that you can have lessons at time convenient to you, they work out A LOT cheaper than face-to-face lessons with a teacher of the same calibre and you can replay them ad infinitum. I don’t know how many times have I had lessons in the past where I’ve ended up covering the same concepts when really a ‘replay’ of the last lesson would h… Read more
Nick

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
I can see from your instructional videos that you are a fantastic teacher – one that can truly relate to all ages – humble yet very positive in approach – never coming across as superior and yet so totally capable of demonstrating the principles and techniques that you seek to impart to the students. I have gained so much confidence in my playing from “pouring over” time and again these invaluable lessons. Invaluable not only in musical content, but also in human interaction content. I am absolu… Read more
Ron
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
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
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
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
Thank you for all the educational information you provide.  I am a classically trained musician.  Professionally, I am a 4th and 5th grade band teacher.  I have played piano and sax for many years, but now I am starting to gig out more. I have always improvised by ear in the past. I have gotten by with my strong sense of pitch, rhythm and melodic contour. However, I want to go deeper. I want to play with a greater variety of melodic and rhythmic ideas to pull from.  I have studied to gain a … Read more
Ray
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

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