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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

Drake Son of Slant Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece

November 24, 2010 by Steve 22 Comments

This is a Drake vintage resin soprano mouthpiece. It is called the “Son of Slant” in reference to a vintage Otto Link Slant soprano mouthpiece.  Here is the description from the Drake website of the mouthpiece: The design of this mouthpiece has been modeled after the Otto Link Slant model, with a few modifications to […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Drake Mouthpieces, Son of Slant, soprano saxophone, vintage resin

Sakshama “Lost Wax” Florida Link Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

November 23, 2010 by Steve 9 Comments

This is a Sakshama “lost wax” florida link metal mouthpiece that I received from Sakshama Koloski  a few months ago.  He was gracious enough to let me try one of his mouthpieces.  I put lost wax in quotations because I’m not sure exactly what that means.  This mouthpiece is a great example of a great […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: lost wax, Sakshama, saxophone, tenor mouthpiece, tenor sax

Theo Wanne Gaia Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece

November 21, 2010 by Steve 12 Comments

Today, I have the Theo Wanne Gaia soprano saxophone mouthpiece up for review.  It is made of hard rubber and I believe it is a .065 tip opening ( that is what I had asked for……..the markings on the table say 7 x 113 but I have no idea what that means).  I have tried […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Gaia mouthpiece, large chamber, sax, soprano saxophone, Theo Wanne

Kanee Custom V7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

November 9, 2010 by Steve 5 Comments

Here’s a brand new mouthpiece review for you. You probably have never heard of this brand.   I had never heard of them before a couple weeks ago either.   I received an email from someone from China asking if I would be willing to try some of their mouthpieces and post a review of […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Custom V7, Kanee mouthpieces, saxophone, tenor mouthpiece

Kanee Custom O7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

November 9, 2010 by Steve 6 Comments

Here’s a brand new mouthpiece review for you.  You probably have never heard of this brand.  I had never heard of them before a couple weeks ago.  I received an email from someone from China asking if I would be willing to try some of their mouthpieces and post a review of them.  I was […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: custum O7, Kanee mouthpieces, tenor saxophone

“Live” Approach Note Patterns on R&B

October 29, 2010 by Steve 6 Comments

Back about 10 years ago, I decided to work on my approach note patterns.  I had been taught a few of these patterns in lessons with Jerry Bergonzi and wanted to really get them down.  As I started to really work on the approaches in every key I found myself finding others to add to […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Jazz Education, Live Recordings Tagged With: Approach Note, Lamberson J7, patterns, tenor saxophone

Poll of 10 Alto Saxophone Mouthpieces

October 4, 2010 by Steve 25 Comments

I decided to run a poll of 10 alto saxophone mouthpieces that I have on my shelf.  I’m having a heck of a time deciding which ones to sell and I figured it would help me to play them side by side and record them.  On all 10 clips I’m just playing a simple slow […]

Filed Under: Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, Alto Saxophone, mouthpiece poll

40 Michael Brecker Licks

September 27, 2010 by Steve 50 Comments

I have written out 40 great Michael Brecker licks that I have picked up and used over the years.  Last week I cleaned them up and numbered them so they are easier to read.  I give these out to my more advanced students who want to start getting into this stuff.  I went through a […]

Filed Under: Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: Michael Brecker, sax licks, tenor saxophone

Sugal Super Gonz Copper Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

September 3, 2010 by Steve 16 Comments

This is a very cherished mouthpiece for me.  It was made by Gary Sugal in the early 90’s and is called the Super Gonz I.  To give you a little background on this mouthpiece…………I started playing tenor around 1986.  At that time, I was playing a Couf Superba 1 tenor with the only mouthpiece I […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: copper, Dave Jary, Gary Sugal, sax mouthpiece, Super Gonz, tenor saxophone

Theo Wanne Hard Rubber Gaia Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

September 2, 2010 by Steve 5 Comments

Here’s another Theo Wanne tenor saxophone mouthpiece for you to check out.  This is a hard rubber version of the Gaia tenor saxophone mouthpiece. The Gaia is said to be a run at the florida link type concept. It has a medium baffle that does indeed remind me of my florida links. The difference hear […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Gaia, hard rubber, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne Wood Gaia Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

August 3, 2010 by Steve 13 Comments

Here’s another Theo Wanne tenor saxophone mouthpiece for you to check out. I just received a ton of these and I’m working my way through them as you might have noticed.   This is a wood version of the Gaia tenor saxophone mouthpiece. The Gaia is said to be a run at the florida link […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Gaia mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Theo Wanne, wood mouthpieces

Theo Wanne Ambika Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

August 3, 2010 by Steve 17 Comments

Here’s another Theo Wanne tenor saxophone mouthpiece for you to check out. I just received a ton of these and I’m working my way through them as you might have noticed. This is a hard rubber version of the Ambika mouthpiece.  The Ambika is on the darker side of the tone spectrum.  It has a […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ambika tenor mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne Wood Gaia Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

August 2, 2010 by Steve 3 Comments

Here’s another Theo Wanne alto saxophone mouthpiece for you to check out.  I just received a ton of these and I’m working my way through them as you might have noticed. This is a wood version of the Gaia mouthpiece.  The Gaia is a middle of the road type mouthpiece tone wise.  From bright to […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, gaia mouthpieces, Theo Wanne, wood gaia

Theo Wanne Hard Rubber Kali Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

August 2, 2010 by Steve Leave a Comment

Here’s another Theo Wanne alto saxophone mouthpiece for you to check out. I just received a ton of these and I’m working my way through them. This is a hard rubber Kali mouthpiece. It is an 8 tip opening which is around a .080 I believe. This is similar to the metal Kali mouthpiece I […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, hard rubber, Kali mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

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Testimonials

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’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
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
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
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
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 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

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 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

After reading your story I will never feel quite right about complaining about any of my MINOR health issues!!    God bless Steve and I really hope that your health doesn’t stop you from fulfilling your calling.    These books have been such a help to open up my jazz vocabulary…   Thanks so much for sharing your story and for providing these great teaching tools…   John Leclerc   Saxophonist / composer/ EWI player and professional working musician of 35 years….

John Leclerc
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
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
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry

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
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

Hello Steve, I’m getting so much out of your lessons and books, amazing how much one may think one knows, there is always a new frontier or new way to view something you think you had somewhat down. You have taken it all to a new level and am so grateful. Your lessons are so down to earth and understandable and clear!  Thanks so much Steve! Cheers, Eddie

Eddie Parente

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
First, I’m really excited about your materials! This site is a vast resource for any aspiring (and maybe already inspired) jazz musicians. I’m not a sax player, I play mandolin and fiddle, but have been learning jazz and playing weekly with a quintet for the past 6 months and have been struggling with all of the issues you get into in your lessons. I bought several books and lessons and plan to continue with some others as soon as I organize my practice routine. Thanks again for a great site … Read more
Tony Galfano
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

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
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
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

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

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