• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MEMBER’S AREA
    • JOIN
    • FAQ
    • MEMBER LOGIN
    • Member Monthly Lessons
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT
You are here: Home / Archives for Reviews

Reviews

Ken Okutsu Traditional Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 3, 2022 by Steve 7 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a great soprano saxophone mouthpiece made by Ken Okutsu at Okutsu mouthpieces in Japan.    This is a hard rubber Okutsu Traditional model soprano saxophone mouthpiece with an 8 tip opening. Ken Okutsu Traditional Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Here is some information from the Okutsu website about the Okutsu Traditional soprano saxophone […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: hard rubber, Ken Okutsu, mouthpiece, review, sax mouthpiece, soprano saxophone, Traditional

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece 2022 Review

February 26, 2022 by Steve 15 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Johannes Gerber mouthpieces.  I first reviewed a Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant tenor mouthpiece here over 12 years ago.  I was incredibly impressed with Johannes Gerber’s craftsmanship 12 years ago when I first played the Gerber Vintage Slant tenor saxophone mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Johannes Gerber, otto link, review, sax mouthpiece, slant signature, tenor saxophone, Vintage slant

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 25, 2022 by Steve 14 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Durga 5 gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Theo Wanne.  Last year, I reviewed Theo Wanne’s darkest tenor saxophone mouthpiece which is the Ambika 3 (Ambika 3 Review), as well as Theo Wanne’s brightest tenor saxophone mouthpiece called the Shiva 3 (Shiva 3 Review). The Durga 5 is ranked second […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Durga 5, gold, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Theo Wanne

Do Mouthpiece Patches and Beak Height Make a Difference to the Sound of a Saxophone?

February 23, 2022 by Steve 26 Comments

Today, I am posting a personal experiment of mine to answer some questions I have about the discernible differences a mouthpiece patch and the mouthpiece beak height make to the sound of the saxophone.  I know many of you out there will perhaps think this is foolish but I am doing this to satisfy my […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: beak, cushions, patch, saxophone, sound, tenor mouthpiece

Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 18, 2022 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am reviewing an Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Tom Alexander at Alexander Reeds Intl..  Tom Alexander reached out to me on January 24th of 2020 asking if I would be interested in reviewing his new Superial I Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  He was very excited about the Superial […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alexander, jazz, marble, review, saxophone, Superial, tenor mouthpiece

Sax Clinic SCV Tonus Mundi and Sonus Divinus Saxophone Ligature Review

February 16, 2022 by Steve 19 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a couple of great new quality saxophone ligatures that I received from the Sax Clinic in North Macedonia. The Sax Clinic sent me a Sonus Divinus and Tonus Mundi model ligature for hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpieces and a Sonus Divinus model ligature for Guardala sized metal tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  I have […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: ligature, review, Sax Clinic, saxophone, SCV, Sonus Divinus, string ligature, Tonus Mundi

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 16, 2022 by Steve 47 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Aaron Drake at Drake mouthpieces.  This Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece was inspired by a Freddie Gregory  hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece that Jeff Coffin plays and that Aaron Drake did some work on. Aaron told me that […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, FG model, freddie gregory, jazz sax, Jeff Coffin, Mark IV, mouthpiece, review, tenor sax, tenor saxophone

Eye-Opening Boston Sax Shop Heritage Tenor Saxophone Neck Review

February 9, 2022 by Steve 38 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new BSS (Boston Sax Shop) Heritage tenor saxophone neck released by Jack Tyler at the Boston Sax Shop.   Jack had told me about this new BSS Heritage tenor sax neck a number of years ago and although I am a bit tentative to add another variable to […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Boston Sax Shop, BSS, BSS reeds, Heritage, R-Series, review, sax mouthpiece, saxophone neck, Selmer soloist, superlative ligature, tenor saxophone

Will the Real Michael Brecker’s Sax Mouthpiece Please Stand Up?

February 2, 2022 by Steve 69 Comments

I wanted to write a blog post on this subject because there has been a lot of discussion and confusion over the years about the Guardala tenor saxophone mouthpiece that Michael Brecker played on.    I started a discussion on this subject on Facebook but thought it would be good to post what I discovered […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Guardala, Michael Brecker, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

Theo Wanne Water Classical Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 20, 2021 by Steve 16 Comments

I was excited to hear that Theo Wanne was releasing a new classical alto saxophone mouthpiece called the Theo Wanne WATER classical alto saxophone mouthpiece a few months ago and asked Theo Wanne if I could review it here on the site.  I was even more excited to hear that it was only $99 dollars! […]

Filed Under: Alto Low Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, classical, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne, Water

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 15, 2021 by Steve 8 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Shiva 3 gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Theo Wanne.  I just reviewed Theo Wanne’s darkest tenor sax mouthpiece which is the Ambika 3 (Ambika 3 Review), so today, I thought I would jump to the complete opposite end of the saxophone tone spectrum and review Theo Wanne’s brightest tenor […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: gold, review, sax mouthpiece, Shiva 3, tenor saxophone, Theo Wanne

Macsax Jalapeño ATX Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 14, 2021 by Steve 2 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a beautifully crafted Macsax Jalapeño 8* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I was contacted by Jeff Gjertsen at Macsax earlier this year and asked if I would be willing to review the brand new Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  Of course, I was super excited to try this beautiful tenor sax mouthpiece as […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: gold, Jalapeno, MacSax, mouthpiece, review, sax, tenor saxophone

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 12, 2021 by Steve 11 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Ambika 3 7* gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Theo Wanne.  I reviewed the first version of the hard rubber Theo Wanne Ambika tenor saxophone mouthpiece over ten years ago when it first came out and am excited to be able to now review this new third version of the […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ambika 3, gold, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Theo Wanne

Revisiting a Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 5, 2021 by Steve 14 Comments

Today, I am again reviewing one of my favorite tenor saxophone mouthpieces, my beloved Lamberson J7 hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I have had for about 14+ years.  I reviewed the Lamberson J7 many years ago here on the site but the original Lamberson J7 review is pretty lame compared to my standards for […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Fred, hard rubber, J7, Lamberson, review, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to page 5
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 36
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Cart

  • Mouthpiece Reviews
    • Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews
    • Alto Mouthpiece Reviews
    • Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews
  • Complete Mouthpiece Review Index
  • Transcriptions
  • Categories
    • Book Reviews
    • Jazz Improvisation
    • Jazz Education
    • Sax Reviews
    • Saxophone Stuff
    • NeffMusic News
  • Live Recordings
  • Funny as a Brain Tumor


NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

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
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 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

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
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
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

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 would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane

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

I must say again how much I appreciate all your material. Including the video tutorials. It help keep me focused and knowing what to aim for. And your laid back teaching style appeals to me too. 

Thanks

P

P
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’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
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
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,

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 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
I have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella
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
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

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
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

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

Featured Video Lessons

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $19.99
  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 4.91 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
    Rated 4.75 out of 5
    $9.99

Now over 600 video and audio lessons to choose from!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY AND SAVE BIG ON EACH LESSON!

Free Lessons

  • Free Lesson on The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer-Major Keys
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering Altered Pentatonics
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Blues Scale Volume 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale and Language Book 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book

Recent reviews

  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Timothy
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Ray Holland
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Lloyd Whitty
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Murray Middleman
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Paul

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Steve on Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Jeff Coffin on Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Helen on 100 Must Know Jazz Tunes Consensus List
  • Joao Tavares on GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Steve on 10mFan Supernova Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Top rated products

  • The Style of Michael Brecker-Lesson 2
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Developing Relative Pitch-Lesson 3
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Mastering Major Diatonic Patterns (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $14.99
  • Mastering The Dominant Bebop Scale Lesson 1
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • In A Mellow Tone Dominant Bebop Solo Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99

Product tags

alto sax alto saxophone approach notes audio lesson bebop scale beginner beginner saxophone blues blues licks blues patterns blues scale blues scales diminished scale dominant chords ear training fundamentals II-V-I improvisation jazz improvisation jazz lines jazz patterns jazz sax jazz saxophone jazz standard jazz standards licks Mastering the Blues Scale Michael Brecker modern improv modern improvisation online lesson patterns playing outside practice habits reading music sax basics sax lessons saxophone scales smooth jazz steve neff tenor sax tenor saxophone video lesson video lessons
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • SUPPORT

Neffmusic © 2005–2023