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Alto Saxophone

Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 15, 2025 by Steve 5 Comments

Today, I will be reviewing the Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece from the new Theo Wanne Essentials collection of saxophone mouthpieces that was released in the fall of 2024.  I recently posted a review of the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece so will probably make references to that mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Essentials, jazz, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 15, 2025 by Steve 5 Comments

Today, I will be reviewing the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece from the new Theo Wanne Essentials collection of saxophone mouthpieces that was released in the fall of 2024. Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece The Essentials Collection of saxophone mouthpieces by Theo Wanne are described as offering “exceptional quality […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, contemporary, Essentials, high baffle, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Phil-Tone Topaz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 4, 2025 by Steve 10 Comments

Today I am reviewing another great alto saxophone mouthpiece made by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone Mouthpieces.  I have reviewed quite a few Phil-Tone saxophone mouthpieces on this site already and am always interested when Phil announces a new Phil-Tone saxophone mouthpiece model.  Phil Engleman’s mouthpiece work is always top notch and he has created some phenomenal mouthpieces […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Cannonball Adderley, jazz sax, medium small chamber, Meyer, mouthpiece, Phil Engleman, Phil Woods, Phil-tone, review, Topaz

The Return of the Iconic Brilhart Ebolin Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

September 17, 2024 by Steve 18 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the return of the Brilhart Carlsbad Ebolin alto saxophone mouthpiece released by Conn-Selmer.  These new Brilhart Ebolin alto saxophone mouthpieces are advertised as being made from the same Brilhart Carlsbad-era molds that Arnold Brilhart used in the 1950’s to make these iconic saxophone mouthpieces. *It’s important to note […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Arnold Brolhart, Brilhart, Carlsbad, cool school, Ebolin, review, sax mouthpiece

Selmer Paris Jazz Flow 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

May 6, 2024 by Steve 14 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new Selmer Jazz Flow 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece released by Selmer Paris.  A few months ago, I started reading some great customer reviews about these new Selmer Jazz Flow alto sax mouthpieces and just as my curiosity was peaking, Ryan Lillywhite, the woodwind category manager at Conn […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Jazz Flow, jazz mouthpiece, review, sax mouthpiece, Selmer Paris

Geller Blackbird Ebonite Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 9, 2023 by Steve 19 Comments

Today, I am reviewing an original and uniquely designed alto saxophone mouthpiece named the “Geller Blackbird” that I received from Max Geller in Munich, Germany. Max reached out to me a number of months ago to see if I was interested in trying his new Geller Blackbird ebonite tenor and alto saxophone mouthpieces.  The drawings […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Blackbird, ebonite, Geller, mouthpiece review, sax mouthpiece

Avel Sound Concept (ASC)-Mistral Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

January 19, 2023 by Steve 8 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Avel Sound Concept (ASC) Mistral model alto saxophone mouthpiece made by Max Even at Avel Sound Concept Mouthpieces.  These are really reasonable priced, quality hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpieces that play incredibly well.  The hard rubber ASC Mistral alto sax mouthpiece I am reviewing today has a 6* tip opening […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, ASC, Avel Sound Concept, jazz sax, Max Even, Mistral, mouthpiece, review

BetterSax Burnin’ Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 14, 2022 by Steve 21 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new BetterSax Burnin’ 6 hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces.  I reviewed the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece a few weeks ago and am equally excited to review this Burnin’ alto sax mouthpiece as […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, BetterSax, Burnin', hard rubber, Jat Metcalf, review, sax mouthpiece

Windy City Woodwinds 56 Mark II Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 11, 2022 by Steve 12 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new Windy City Woodwinds 56 Mark II alto saxophone mouthpiece.  The 56 Mark II alto sax mouthpiece is the same design as the 56 Select alto saxophone mouthpiece I just reviewed last week (56 Select Alto Sax Mouthpiece Review) but the 56 Mark II mouthpiece is 3-D printed and at […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 56 Mark II, Alto Saxophone, Art Pepper, cool school, Dr. Wally Wallace, hard rubber, Paul Desmond, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne, Windy City

Windy City Woodwinds 56 Select Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 5, 2022 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new Windy City Woodwinds 56 Select alto saxophone mouthpiece.  The 56 Select alto sax mouthpiece is advertised as capturing the warmth and singing quality of the 1950’s “cool school” of alto saxophone playing in the style of Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Paul Desmond.  As someone who listened to a […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 56 Select, Alto Saxophone, Art Pepper, cool school, Dr. Wally Wallace, hard rubber, Paul Desmond, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne, Windy City

Meyer Bros New York Connoisseur Series Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

August 11, 2022 by Steve 17 Comments

Today, I am reviewing two new Meyer Bros New York 7 and 8 Connoisseur series alto saxophone mouthpieces made by JJ Babbitt.  The Connoisseur Meyer Bros NY alto saxophone mouthpieces are advertised as being a reproduction of the original Meyer Bros New York alto saxophone mouthpiece that Cannonball Adderley played as described in this quote […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Connoisseur Series, JJ Babbitt, Meyer Bros, new york, review, sax mouthpiece

GetASax GS NEW YORK Meyer Bros NY Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Replica Review

June 30, 2022 by Steve 13 Comments

Today,  I am reviewing the GetASax GS NEW YORK Meyer Bros alto saxophone mouthpiece replica, that is an extremely precise copy of a Brian Curry’s favorite Meyer Bros New York alto saxophone mouthpiece. These cool white mouthpieces are made by Brian Curry at GetASax.com.  I have already reviewed the GetASax GS RESO tenor sax mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Brian Curry, Bros NY, Getasax, Meyer, new york, replica, review, sax mouthpiece

The SYOS Originals Smoky, Steady and Spark Model Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 15, 2022 by Steve 2 Comments

Today, I am reviewing and comparing three new SYOS Originals series alto saxophone mouthpieces.  SYOS mouthpieces has released this new Originals SYOS line of tenor, alto and soprano saxophone mouthpieces to give saxophone players a simpler way to order a quality saxophone mouthpiece at a more affordable price point.  I have already reviewed the SYOS […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, comparison, model, Originals, review, sax mouthpiece, smoky, spark, steady, SYOS

Theo Wanne Water Classical Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 20, 2021 by Steve 17 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

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Testimonials

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
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

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 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
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)

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

Steve,  Just want to say thanks for all you are doing for all of us. I’ve learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.

If you can give some tips on One Note Samba, Ceora, and Wave… that would be cool.  I really like learning how you apply your concepts to actual songs!

Have a great year,

Kevin Ledbetter

I've learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.
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
Steve really changed my way of practicing: I got a whole lot of new ideas for my playing the tenor.  His lessons are really helpful, give a lot stuff to practice and give clear answers to complicated stuff.  Steve has a lot of humor and I wish I had laughed so much in my former days with the horn.  All topics, from Blues to Approach note are dealt with clearness that wet ones appetite to play and practice that great ideas.
Uwe
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!
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

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
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 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 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 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
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’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’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
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

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
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 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

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