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Drake Vintage Resin NY Jazz Tenor Mouthpiece

April 28, 2010 by Steve 9 Comments

This is a new mouthpiece I received in the mail last week from Aaron Drake. Drake mouthpieces have been around for a number of years and Aaron is best known for his Ceramic mouthpieces which I have reviewed here before. Recently, he has updated his website www.DrakeMouthpieces.com and come out with a new line of […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, NY Jazz, tenor mouthpiece, vintage resin

Drake Vintage Resin Son of Slant Tenor Mouthpiece

April 27, 2010 by Steve 18 Comments

This is a new mouthpiece I received in the mail last week from Aaron Drake.  Drake mouthpieces have been around for a number of years and Aaron is best known for his Ceramic mouthpieces which I have reviewed here before.   Recently, he has updated his website www.DrakeMouthpieces.com and come out with a new line […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, Drake Mouthpieces, Son of Slant, tenor mouthpiece, vintage resin

Does Your Saxophone Equipment Matter?

April 19, 2010 by Steve 12 Comments

The ongoing debate in the saxophone community is whether equipment really matters.  By equipment we mean the brand of saxophone, mouthpiece, ligature, reeds, neck, pads and resonators.  Some people will even argue that the type of material, screws and resonance stones on the body of the sax make a difference.  I’ve had students come in […]

Filed Under: Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: alpine alto saxophone, saxophone equipment, yamaha 4C, Yardbird Suite

Marc Jean Ligature Review

April 18, 2010 by Steve 23 Comments

Around the middle of February I received an email from Marc Jean at Musique de Marc asking if I would be interested in trying one of his Marc Jean ligatures.  He said it was a new design and that many players of note were digging it.  I was a bit skeptical as I get a […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Francois Louis, Marc Jean Ligature, Optimum, saxophone ligatures, tenor saxophone, wood sticks

Selmer Long Shank Soloist Tenor Mouthpiece

April 16, 2010 by Steve 15 Comments

This is a Vintage Selmer Long Shank Soloist Tenor Mouthpiece that was originally a C*.  This mouthpiece has been refaced to a .105 tip opening by Brian Powell.  I have been wanting to try one of these ever since I tried a Selmer short shank soloist about a year ago.  I loved the short shank […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Long Shank, Selmer soloist, tenor mouthpiece

“Live” solo on “Jump Jive and Wail”

April 14, 2010 by Steve 1 Comment

This is a live clip from a gig I did 5-6 years ago.  It’s on the tune “Jump Jive and Wail”.  I have no idea what mouthpiece I’m using on this. This is a bit of a different style of music than I usually post clips of so I thought some of you might like […]

Filed Under: Live Recordings Tagged With: Jump Jive and Wail, tenor saxophone solo

What difference does the ligature make? Part 1

April 8, 2010 by Steve 22 Comments

A saxophone ligature is a device that holds the reed against the table (flat part) of the mouthpiece.  Most people wouldn’t think this is that big of a deal, I mean how hard is it to use something to make the reed stay against the mouthpiece?  You could use a rubber band if push came […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: mouthpiece ligature, saxophone ligature

Ralph Morgan MLL 8* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

April 7, 2010 by Steve 21 Comments

This a Ralph Morgan MLL 8* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  This use to be a ML model but the owner of the piece sent it to Erik Greiffenhagen to have the chamber made larger so now it is a MLL model.  The tip opening of this mouthpiece is an 8* which for a Morgan is a […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Erik Greiffenhagen, Morgan MLL, Ralph Morgan, tenor mouthpiece

White Brilhart Tonalin 7* Tenor Mouthpiece

April 5, 2010 by Steve 20 Comments

Here is a White Brilhart Tonalin 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I believe this one is from the late 60’s although I’m not an expert on Vintage Brilhart mouthpieces.  Mark Sepinuck was kind enough to let me try this one.  He felt that it gave him a “Gene Ammons” type of sound.  I really dig the […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brilhart Tonalin, tenor mouthpiece, White Brilhart

“Live” For The Love of You Solo-Lamberson DD7

March 30, 2010 by Steve 2 Comments

This is a live clip from a gig I did 5-6 years ago. I play a tenor saxophone solo using the Fred Lamberson DD7 tenor mouthpiece I had back then.  The mouthpiece is made of white acetal with a high long baffle in it that drops down into the chamber after about a half inch […]

Filed Under: Live Recordings Tagged With: For the love of you, Fred Lamberson, Lamberson DD7, tenor saxophone mouthpiece

Amazing Charlie Parker Recording of Cherokee

March 29, 2010 by Steve 8 Comments

Back when I was in junior high school I was introduced to the playing of Charlie Parker.  It was 9th grade and up to that point all I had listened to was Spyro Gyra, Chuck Mangione, Dave Sanborn and the Yellowjackets.  My saxophone teacher told me that if I wanted to be good at jazz […]

Filed Under: Jazz Videos Tagged With: Charlie Parker, Cherokee, Omnibook

Great hour long interview with Joshua Redman

March 24, 2010 by Steve Leave a Comment

Here’s a great link to an interview with the great tenor saxophone player Joshua Redman.  Joshua has been one of my favorite tenor players since I first heard him in the mid 90’s.  I think the first album I bought was “Freedom in the Groove”.  Soon after that I bought every one of Joshua Redman’s […]

Filed Under: Jazz Videos Tagged With: Gary Giddens, joshua redman, moodswing, tenor saxophone

Barone Jazz Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 13, 2010 by Steve 16 Comments

Here is a fairly new Phil Barone tenor saxophone mouthpiece. This is the “Jazz” model and is a 7*(.105) tip opening.   I believe this is a 2009 model although there is no date on it (his older mouthpieces had dates engraved on the side of them). I have owned 5-6 Barone mouthpieces over the […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Barone jazz, Barone Saxophone, Phil Barone, tenor mouthpiece

Barone Hollywood Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 13, 2010 by Steve 9 Comments

Here is a fairly new Phil Barone  tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  This is the “Hollywood” model and is an 8 (.110) tip opening.  I believe this is a 2009 model although there is no date on it ( his older mouthpieces had dates engraved on the side of them).  I have owned 5-6 Barone mouthpieces over […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Hollywood, Phil Barone, saxophone, tenor mouthpiece

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NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

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
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
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 have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry

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
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
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

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

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
I bought Steve’s dominant bebop book and took a couple of online lesson from him. I really appreciated Steve’s careful listening of what I wanted to get done in a lesson and his clear, concise ideas on next steps to improve my playing and musical interpretation.  His mastering  the Dominant Bebop Scale has lots of exercises to use a scale that addresses the largest percentage of chords I come across in pop/blues music. The dominant V7.  Needless say it has improved my playing.  I teach and a… Read more
Keith

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 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
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 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

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