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Reviews

JX Custom JXFL 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 19, 2019 by Steve 27 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the JX Custom JXFL 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece that is said to be similar in design to a Francois Louis solid silver 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece like Bob Berg used to play.    This is made by Jianxing Li in Guangzhou, China. A number of months ago, I was contacted and […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Bob Berg, Francois Louis, Jianxing Li, JX Custom, JXFL, review, tenor mouthpiece

JX Custom JXKM 8 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 17, 2019 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the JX Custom JXKM 8 soprano saxophone mouthpiece that is said to be similar in design to a Miami Dukoff 8 soprano sax mouthpiece like Kenny G plays.    This is made by Jianxing Li in Guangzhou, China. A number of months ago, I was contacted and asked if I would […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Dukoff, Jianxing Li, JX Custom, JXKM, Kenny G, review, soprano mouthpiece

JX Custom JXRO 8 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 16, 2019 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the JX Custom JXRO 8 alto saxophone mouthpiece.    This is made by Jianxing Li in Guangzhou, China.  A number of months ago, I was contacted and asked if I would consider reviewing the sax mouthpieces in the photo below for Mr. Li.  They look to be quite the arsenal of […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, jazz sax, JX Custom, JXRO, mouthpiece, review, Sanborn

The Rhythm Book-Intermediate Notation and Sight-Reading by Rory Stuart Review

February 13, 2019 by Steve Leave a Comment

Today, I am reviewing “The Rhythm Book-Intermediate Notation and Sight-Reading” by Rory Stuart that is published by Hal Leonard.  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 the other day.  Today I will be writing about his […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Intermediate Notation, music education, review, Rory Stuart, sight reading, The Rhythm Book

The Rhythm Book-Beginning Notation and Sight-Reading by Rory Stuart Review

February 12, 2019 by Steve 1 Comment

Today, I am reviewing “The Rhythm Book-Beginning Notation and Sight-Reading” by Rory Stuart that is published by Hal Leonard.  Rory Stuart has written a great beginning book (beginning meaning dealing with everything rhythmically up to and including hard eighth note rhythms) for those of you who want to understand rhythm and notation in a deeper […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Hal Leonard, music education, notation, review, Rory Stuart, sight reading, The Rhythm Book

Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition

February 7, 2019 by Steve 1 Comment

I was recently informed about this new competition by Brian Plautz and Susan Brecker and thought I would pass on the information here on the site.  If you are an aspiring saxophonist between the ages of 16-30, are a citizen of the world (no extraterrestrials) and can burn it up on the saxophone, then this […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: International, Michael Brecker, saxophone competition

Phil Barone Hollywood 8 Tenor Sax Mouthpiece Refaced by MojoBari

January 27, 2019 by Steve 17 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a unique Phil Barone Hollywood 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I had Keith Bradbury (Mojobari) work on for me a number of years ago.  I had originally bought this from a sax player who said it was his gigging mouthpiece for a number of years.  The bite plate had some deep […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Barone, Hollywood, Keith Bradbury, Mojobari, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

The Difference a Neck Can Make: Boston Sax Shop Heritage Alto Saxophone Neck Review

January 17, 2019 by Steve 26 Comments

I have to admit, I usually stay away from anything to do with trying saxophone necks or different brands of saxophones.  So much of my time is already consumed with trying so many different saxophone mouthpieces that adding necks and saxophones to the mix is just too overwhelming for me.  The reality is that changing […]

Filed Under: Sax Reviews, Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Boston Sax Shop, BSS, Jack Finucane, sax neck

Corry Bros Mesa Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

January 14, 2019 by Steve 10 Comments

Today I am reviewing a new mouthpiece from Jim and Paul Corry over in the UK.  They are the owners of Corry Bros Saxophone Mouthpieces.  As happens regularly on my site, someone contacted me and asked if I could review some of the Corry Bros sax mouthpieces.  I had never heard of them but after […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Corry Bros, dark tone, hard rubber, Mesa, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Saxscape Live Slim Profile Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

January 10, 2019 by Steve 31 Comments

Ken Barry, at Saxscape mouthpieces has been making mouthpiece since before I started  my website at neffmusic.com.  About 4 years ago, I saw a clip of one of my favorite tenor sax players (Danny Walsh) on Youtube playing a prototype Saxscape “Live” tenor sax mouthpiece and I thought he sounded amazing on it.  Here is […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ken Barry, Live, mouthpiece, review, sax, Saxscape, slim profile, tenor saxophone

10mFan Showtime Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

December 28, 2018 by Steve 16 Comments

Mark Sepinuck, 10mFan as he is known in the saxophone world, has been producing a line of tenor and alto saxophone mouthpieces for the last six years that have been very popular with saxophone players around the world.  I have reviewed some of 10mFan’s tenor sax mouthpiece models in the past such as the Robusto, […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 10mFan, Mark Sepinuck, review, saxophone mouthpiece, Showtime, tenor sax

Guardala Mouthpiece Informative Brochures From 1990

December 21, 2018 by Steve 10 Comments

A friend of mine on Facebook, Adrian Chia, posted  these pictures of hardcopy Guardala mouthpiece brochures that he received from Dave Guardala in the mail back in 1990.  Dave was living in Hicksville NY at the time and working out of his garage from what I have heard.  If only I had a time machine……………  […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: 1990, Dave Guardala, informative brochures, Michael Brecker, sax mouthpiece

RPC 110B Red Letter Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

December 21, 2018 by Steve 12 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a RPC 110B tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Ron Coelho, at RPC mouthpieces.   I used to own one of these 110B tenor sax mouthpieces back in the mid 2000’s before I started this website and remember gigging on it for about 6-8 months at the time.  I was playing a lot of […]

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

The Art of Imitation-Michael Brecker on Peep

October 11, 2018 by Steve 14 Comments

Someone on SOTW (Sax on the Web) posted a video this morning of Michael Brecker soloing over his tune Peep from the early 90’s. Peep was a Brecker tune from the album “Now You See It… (Now You Don’t) that blew my mind when it was released in 1990.   I was a young Brecker head […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: imitation, Improvisation, jazz sax, Michael Brecker, Peep, tenor saxophone

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Testimonials

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

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 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
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
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 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

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
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!
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
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
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
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
I just joined Neff Music last month. I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been to be able to pick back up on lessons. I’ve been in a rut and you got me out! I’ve especially appreciated the Lesson Path section. It was so clear I knew exactly where to jump in and start. Many many thanks!
Karin
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
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella
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

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

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

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
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
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

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