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Swingin’ Max Ionata “All the Things You Are” Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

January 14, 2023 by Steve 2 Comments

Here is another masterful solo by the great tenor saxophone player from Italy, Max Ionata.  I absolutely love this short rendition from Youtube of Max soloing on the changes to “All the Things You Are”.  This solo is so full of great jazz vocabulary perfectly crafted into a beautifully melodic solo over this classic jazz […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: All the Things You Are, Max Ionata, solo transcription, tenor saxophone

SYOS Max Ionata Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

January 14, 2023 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am reviewing another tenor saxophone mouthpiece from SYOS mouthpieces in France.  This is the SYOS Max Ionata signature model 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece I will be reviewing today.  The SYOS company hit the saxophone mouthpiece scene a few years ago and immediately caught the world’s attention by producing these really bright colored 3D […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Max Ionata, mouthpiece, review, Signature Model, SYOS, tenor saxophone

Swingin’ Max Ionata “I Remember You” Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

July 13, 2022 by Steve 2 Comments

Here is another swingin’ melody/solo by the great tenor saxophone player from Italy, Max Ionata.  I absolutely love this short rendition from Instagram of the melody of “I Remember You” with Max’s signature bebop lines weaved within the spaces.   Max Ionata plays with a perfect blend of hip jazz lines, crazy technique, a swingin’ time […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: I Remember You, Max Ionata, solo transcription, tenor saxophone

Max Ionata Ridiculously Great Parole Parole Tenor Saxophone Solo Transcription

May 28, 2020 by Steve 2 Comments

I have another treat for all of you!  A couple of weeks ago,  I discovered a new sax player on Facebook who was posting killer transcriptions on Youtube. His name is Dimitrii Sergheev from Moldova.  Dimitrii caught my attention because we seem to have the exact same tastes in great tenor sax solos that need […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Greta Panettieri, jazz sax, Max Ionata, Parole Parole, solo, tenor saxophone, transcription

Swingin’ Max Ionata “You’re Driving Me Crazy” Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

February 5, 2020 by Steve 5 Comments

Here is another swingin’ solo by the great tenor saxophone player from Italy, Max Ionata.  I absolutely love this solo and have probably listened to it a hundred times over the last few days while transcribing it.  Max Ionata plays with a perfect blend of hip jazz lines, crazy technique, a swingin’ time feel and […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Francesca Tandoi, Max Ionata, solo transcription, tenor saxophone, You're Driving Me Crazy

Swingin’ Max Ionata “Home At Last” Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

June 29, 2019 by Steve 5 Comments

Here is another killin’ solo by the great tenor saxophone player Max Ionata.  I absolutely love this solo and have probably listened to it a hundred times this morning.  Part of what I love about the solo, is watching Max on the video.  He is playing this killin’ perfect tenor sax solo but he looks […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Hank Mobley, Home At Last, Max Ionata, solo transcription, tenor saxophone

Dave O’Higgins and Max Ionata Minor Blues Tenor Sax Transcription

July 26, 2018 by Steve 5 Comments

I just got back from a family vacation and was dreading picking up my sax and playing after having about two weeks off.  I decided I needed some inspiration,  so I found this video on Youtube to transcribe this morning.  It is of Dave O’Higgins and Max Ionata tearing up a minor blues on tenor […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Dave O'Higgins, jazz sax, Max Ionata, Minor Blues, tenor saxophone, transcription

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

The Best Saxophone Embouchure: Where’s that Bottom Lip?

June 30, 2020 by Steve 114 Comments

I just completed a new saxophone video lesson entitled “The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson” in which I teach my approach to the saxophone playing embouchure and playing the saxophone.  While working on the sax lesson, I thought it would be a cool idea to search the internet for good photos of […]

Filed Under: Learning at Neffmusic, Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: best, bottom lip, embouchure, mouthpiece, perfect, playing, sax, saxophone

Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

July 16, 2019 by Steve 36 Comments

I was excited to hear that Theo Wanne was releasing a new tenor saxophone mouthpiece called the Gaia 3 a few months ago and asked Theo if I could review it.  I had reviewed the original Gaia tenor saxophone mouthpiece back in 2009 and it was one of  the best tenor saxophone mouthpieces I had […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Gaia 3, review, saxophone, tenor sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

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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’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
I have been a member of Neffmusic for more than a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it! I have not only been going thru the Dominant Bebop Scale lessons and book (OUTSTANDING!) but the mouthpiece reviews, solo clips and transcriptions are very interesting. Steve approach to beginning and intermediate improv have given me many new pathways to teach my high school jazz ensemble students. Congratulations Steve, great product!
Craig
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

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
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
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella
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 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
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
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 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
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 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 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
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

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
I have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
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
Hey Steve, I’m a 22-year-old from Australia. I thought it would be worth saying. You’re an absolute legend. I can’t thank you enough. You have helped me rekindle my love for the saxophone and music as a whole. All the best for the future, your work doesn’t go unnoticed. PS. I am loving your devastating minor lines pdf.
Sapph
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 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
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
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

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