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Reviews

Ponzol M2 Gold Tenor Mouthpiece

February 2, 2010 by Steve 11 Comments

This is another classic Peter Ponzol M2 tenor mouthpiece.  I’ve played about 5-6 of these and they were all great.   This one is a .110 tip opening which feels perfect for me.   They have a brightness and kick to them that really comes out when you are on the gig.

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Peter Ponzol, Ponzol M2, tenor mouthpiece

Ponzol M1 Gold Tenor Mouthpiece

February 2, 2010 by Steve 4 Comments

This is a Peter Ponzol M1 that I purchased just for the heck of it.  I have tried a bunch of M2’s but never a M1( Maybe in a store once)  This is a really nice piece.  It a  bit brighter than the Ponzol ML tenor mouthpiece I played before but a bit darker than […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Peter Ponzol, Ponzol M1, tenor mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Morgan ML 8* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

February 2, 2010 by Steve 7 Comments

This a Morgan ML tenor mouthpiece.  I received this from a friend of mine who loves it.  These use to be made by Ralph Morgan but now are made by Brian Powell and Eric Greiffenhagen.   They both used to work with Ralph Morgan.   These two guys have done a great job at keeping […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Morgan ML, Ralph Morgan, tenor mouthpiece

Lawton 9BB JVW Refaced Tenor Mouthpiece Review

February 2, 2010 by Steve 8 Comments

This a Lawton 9BB tenor saxophone mouthpiece that was refaced by JVW (Jon Van Wie).  If you have never heard of Jon Van Wie, he was a great mouthpiece refacer that passed away some years ago.  I had him do some work on some mouthpieces for me when I first started getting into this mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Jon Van Wie, Lawton tenor mouthpiece, mouthpiece review, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Lawton 8* BB Special Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

February 1, 2010 by Steve 19 Comments

This a Lawton 8*BB Special tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I’ve never tried a Lawton before so I was looking forward to playing this one.  This a special one that Geoff Lawton made without the typical sliding ligature track he usually puts on his mouthpieces. This is a great playing mouthpiece. The 8* tip is a bit above […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: lawton, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor mouthpiece

Tenney Jazzmaster 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

January 14, 2010 by Steve 9 Comments

This is the “Doc” Tenney Jazzmaster 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  A friend of mine on the internet was kind enough to send it to me so I could put a clip up of it. Mr. Tenney has quite the reputation for his mouthpiece work.  I’ve had a few students that have played his pieces over […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Doc Tenney, Jazzmaster, mouthpiece review, Tenney Jazzmaster, tenor mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Morgan 6J Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece

December 21, 2009 by Steve 8 Comments

This is an old Morgan 6J soprano mouthpiece that a student of mine let me borrow.   These were made by the legendary Ralph Morgan.  Ralph passed away in 2007 and it was a great loss to the saxophone world.  I’ve told this story before but one time I had a Morgan mouthpiece that was […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 6J, Ralph Morgan, saxophone, soprano mouthpiece

Drake Ceramic Small Chamber Soprano Mouthpiece

September 25, 2009 by Steve 4 Comments

This is a new Drake ceramic soprano mouthpiece that I am trying out. This piece has a .065 tip opening and a small chamber.  The mouthpiece plays with a nice  focused tone. Much more focused sounding than the Drake large chambered mouthpiece. If you listen to both clips you can hear the difference between a […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: ceramic, drake mouthpiece, soprano

Drake Ceramic Large Chamber Soprano Mouthpiece

September 25, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

This is a another new Drake ceramic soprano mouthpiece that I am trying out.  this piece has a .065 tip opening and a larger chamber in it than I have seen in other soprano mouthpieces.  This mouthpiece plays with a big fat tone.  Much more spread sounding than the  Drake small chambered mouthpiece. If you […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: ceramic, drake mouthpiece, soprano mouthpiece

Selmer Super Session J Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece

September 20, 2009 by Steve 24 Comments

This is a sound clip of my main soprano saxophone mouthpiece for the last 6 years.  It is a Selmer Super Session J mouthpiece that I  bought from WWBW. At the time that I bought this, I also tried an I tip opening. I remember feeling like the I gave me a Kenny G type […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: sax mouthpiece, saxophone mouthpiece, selmer, soprano sax, soprano saxophone, super session

Aizen LS Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

September 18, 2009 by Steve 34 Comments

This is the new Aizen LS 7*  tenor  saxophone mouthpiece.  I have one of these for my alto saxophone that I love and am lucky enough to be able to try this tenor sax model. I’ve had it for 2 weeks and played it almost everyday. These are advertised as being copies of a vintage […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Aizen LS, Minoru Kubota, saxophone, Slant Link, tenor mouthpiece

New “Vintage” Slant Otto Link Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 36 Comments

This a “New” “Vintage” “Slant” Otto Link  hard rubber tenor mouthpiece.  There has been a lot of buzz about these lately. Babbitt has come out with these as a model that is comparable to the vintage slant signature hard rubber links everyone is paying big bucks for on ebay.  Now I have to say, that […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: otto link, tenor mouthpiece, Vintage Link, Vintage slant

Greg Wier Indian Rubber 7* Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 7 Comments

This another tenor mouthpiece made by Greg Wier.  I asked Greg to make me a hard rubber tenor mouthpiece with a little more power than his slant piece I had played before. He said that he had a few blanks of “Indian Rubber” (I have no idea what that means, but it sounds good) He […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: greg wier, Indian Rubber, tenor mouthpiece

Jon Van Wie’s Words On Mouthpiece Work

August 14, 2009 by Steve 10 Comments

This was on one of the google forums back in the late 90’s.  I never heard of Jon Van Wie or his work before this but reading this post you can sense the love, passion and focus he had for saxophone mouthpiece refacing.  Soon after reading this, I sent Jon Van Wie a few mouthpieces […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Jon Van Wie, Mouthpiece reface

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Testimonials

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
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 have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul

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 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
Hey Steve! I hope you and your family are well.  I’m just writing to say thank you so much for all the resources you have made available to the saxophone community. I have been using your material for many years and I always come back to it… in fact I just took a break from practicing to write this…( reviewing “CreatingModern II-V-I Lines with simple pentatonics”.) I am, and continue to be, one of your raving fans! Blessings to you and your family this holiday season! Wishing… Read more
Gerry Aylward
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

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
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
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
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 like so many other subscribers feel so encouraged by Steve’s learning techniques; you will enjoy reading the comments of praise others have left as you too will feel that you share a common view and path. I feel very lucky to have come across Neffmusic and that feeling will remain with you as you search through a treasure trove of learning materials on offer, you will quickly find the lessons that you are suited to. You will instantly recognize the unparalleled quality of Steve’s teaching … Read more
Stephen
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
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 want to thank you for your “Ultimate II-V-I Primer”  which has sent me off on a much better path to improvisation.  The primer and the four bound books I have will keep me busy for a long time.  I like your lessons for two reasons.  The lessons work and THEY ARE FUN.  Thanks again.

Robert

Robert
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
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)

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
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
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
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
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 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

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