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10mFan Showboat Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

June 14, 2018 by Steve 34 Comments

Mark Sepinuck, 10mFan as he is known in the saxophone world, has been producing a line of tenor saxophone mouthpieces for the last five 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, the Black […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 10mFan, Alto Saxophone, jazz sax, mouthpiece, Phil Woods, review, Showboat

Max Ionata “But Not For Me” Killer Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

June 11, 2018 by Steve 8 Comments

Some days the “sax gods” just rain down blessings upon me.  Over the weekend, I started a transcription of Max Ionata’s killer tenor sax solo on “But Not for Me” from the Youtube video below.  This solo has been on my transcription to-do list since I first heard it on Youtube four years ago.  Max […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: But Not for Me, Max Ionata, sax solo, tenor saxophone, transcription

JX Custom Series B Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

June 6, 2018 by Steve 4 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the JX Custom Series B alto saxophone mouthpiece.    This is made by Jianxing Li in Guangzhou, China.  The JX custom Series B is advertised as a replica of a 1980’s Beechler metal alto saxophone mouthpiece.  I have never played a Beechler metal alto sax mouthpiece from the 1980’s but my […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 1980 Beechler, Alto Saxophone, China, JX mouthpiece, metal, Series B

Westcoast Sax MOAM .081 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

June 5, 2018 by Steve 1 Comment

Today, I am reviewing the Westcoast Sax “MOAM” .081 alto saxophone mouthpiece.  You might remember that I reviewed a non-plated MOAM alto mouthpiece that had a .086 tip opening last fall. Matt Lee at Westcoast Sax is always picking interesting and understated names for his mouthpieces and this is no exception.  The name MOAM stands for […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, jazz sax, MOAM, review, saxophone, soundclip, Theo Wanne, westcoast sax

Michael Brecker “Mellow Minor” Tenor Saxophone Solo Transcription

April 30, 2018 by Steve Leave a Comment

Here is another great solo transcription of Michael Brecker on the McCoy Tyner tune “Mellow Minor” from the album “Infinity”.  This has been on my transcription list for many years now and this morning I thought I would hammer away at it and finally finish it. I remember when this album came out, I was […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Infinity, McCoy Tyner, Mellow Minor, Michael Brecker, tenor saxophone, transcription

Westcoast Sax MOAM .110 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

April 25, 2018 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing another Westcoast Sax “MOAM” tenor saxophone mouthpiece. A few months ago, I reviewed an unplated .105 tip opening MOAM. Matt said he would send me a plated model of the MOAM when they were finished and I asked if I could get the .110 tip opening.  I wasn’t planning on doing […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: MOAM, review, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax, westcoast sax

Pete Christlieb Swingin’ Tenor Sax Solo Transcription-“Limehouse Blues”

April 24, 2018 by Steve 7 Comments

For todays transcription, I need to give you a little bit backstory so bear with me for a second.  I started playing the saxophone in 7th grade.  I was your average kid who was excited about playing the sax but not really sure how serious I was or where this new hobby would take me. […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: jazz sax, Limehouse Blues, Pete Christlieb, tenor saxophone, transcription

Danny Walsh Tenor Sax Solo Transcription on “A Weaver of Dreams”

April 23, 2018 by Steve 7 Comments

Here’s another great saxophone solo transcription from a Youtube video that I started working on last week.   This is another great solo from the terrific NYC tenor sax player, Danny Walsh on the tune “A Weaver of Dreams”.  (I’ve already transcribed a couple other solos by Danny if you want to check those out also…..) Danny […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: A Weaver of Dreams, Danny Walsh, jazz saxophone, solo transcription, tenor sax

Michael Brecker “Happy Days” Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

April 18, 2018 by Steve 1 Comment

Here is another great solo transcription of Michael Brecker on the McCoy Tyner tune “Happy Days” from the album “Infinity”.  This has been on my transcription list for many years now and this morning I thought I would hammer away at it and finally finish it. I remember when this album came out, I was […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Happy Days, Infinity, McCoy Tyner, Michael Brecker, sax solo, tenor sax, transcription

Joel Frahm “Aguas De Março” Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

April 17, 2018 by Steve 21 Comments

Here’s another beautiful solo by the great tenor saxophone player, Joel Frahm.  Joel has commented on neffmusic.com quite a few times over the years and his passion for everything to do with the saxophone is very obvious. This youtube video is one of my all time favorites.  It is the tune “Aguas De Março” (Waters of […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Aguas De Marco, jazz sax, Joel Frahm, Sant Andreu Jazz Band, solo, tenor saxophone, transcription, Waters of March

Boston Sax Shop Signature Reed Cases

March 28, 2018 by Steve 3 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a beautiful new product I received with a reed order from Jack Tyler at the Boston Sax Shop.  Last week,  I ordered some new reeds to try from Jack and when the package came, I opened it to discover this added gem inside.  This is the Boston Sax Shop signature reed […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Boston Sax Shop, BSS, reed case, reed holder, reeds, review, storage

The Sonny Rollins Omnibook Review

March 27, 2018 by Steve 4 Comments

*I posted all the recordings I could find on Youtube that go with this transcription book at the bottom of this review………Enjoy! My first recording of Sonny Rollins that I heard as a teenager was “Saxophone Colossus”.  I checked it out of the local library. I didn’t play tenor saxophone back then but I was […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Bb instruments, jazz sax, Omnibook, solos, Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone, Transcriptions

NEW Book-Mastering the Minor ii-7b5 V7b9 Bebop Scale

March 23, 2018 by Steve Leave a Comment

“Mastering the Minor ii-7b5 V7b9 Bebop Scale” is a new approach to learning to play great jazz lines over a minor ii-V progression.  If you have worked out of my “Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale” book, you know that the bebop scale and the “bebop links” that can be added to it can be a […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: bebop scale, Jazz Improvisation, jazz method, licks, minor ii-7b5 V7b9, patterns, steve neff

Great Instructional Video on Intonation by Michael Lake

March 7, 2018 by Steve 2 Comments

Michael Lake over at altobone.com put out a video on youtube this week on intonation that I think is excellent!   Michael is not a sax player, (he plays alto trombone….I know, “How dare you Steve, this is a saxophone site!!“) but his thoughts on intonation in this video are right on. Every note you play on […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: instructional video, intonation, Michael Lake, playing music, trombone, tuning

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NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

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 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
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
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
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

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
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
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)
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

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’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 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
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 have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry

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
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
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
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 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
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
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 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
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

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

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