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Theo Wanne Battle Royal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Showdown: Round One-Ballad

November 30, 2022 by Steve 35 Comments

Today, I am posting a battle royal, fight to the death, comparison between six Theo Wanne tenor saxophone mouthpieces that I have already reviewed here at Neffmusic.  Here are the six Theo Wanne mouthpieces doing battle in round one today with links to their reviews: Theo Wanne Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Lineup (From Left to Right-Ambika […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ambika 3, comparison, Durga 5, Gaia 3, Gaia4, jazz sax, Lakshmi, metal, mouthpiece, review, Roberto's Winds saxophone reeds, Shiva 3, tenor saxophone, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne Gaia 3 and 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 15, 2022 by Steve 12 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the Gaia 3 & 4 hard rubber soprano saxophone mouthpieces made by Theo Wanne.  I reviewed the original Gaia soprano sax mouthpiece about 12 years ago and have been playing that mouthpiece on the soprano sax ever since.  This week I will be reviewing three Theo Wanne soprano […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ambika 3, comparison, Gaia3, Gaia4, review, sax mouthpiece, soprano saxophone, Theo Wanne

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

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

March 11, 2022 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing and comparing three new SYOS Originals series tenor 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: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: comparison, model, Originals, review, sax mouthpiece, smoky, spark, steady, SYOS, tenor saxophone

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

September 24, 2021 by Steve 4 Comments

Today, I am comparing three new SYOS Originals series soprano saxophone mouthpieces.  SYOS mouthpieces has released this new Originals SYOS line of mouthpieces this month to give saxophone players a simpler way to order a quality mouthpiece at a more affordable price point. The SYOS Originals series comes in three models for tenor, alto and […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: comparison, model, Originals, review, sax mouthpiece, smoky, soprano saxophone, spark, steady, SYOS

Comparing Four SYOS Signature Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces Side by Side

January 15, 2021 by Steve 4 Comments

Today, I am comparing four SYOS tenor saxophone mouthpieces that I have reviewed in the past side by side so that you can more easily hear and compare these tenor saxophone mouthpieces and sound clips to each other.  The comparison is between the SYOS Chad LB 8* tenor saxophone mouthpiece, the SYOS Tivon Pennicott 8 […]

Filed Under: Alto Low Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Chad LB, comparison, Lorenzo Ferrero, Michael Wilbur, mouthpiece, review, Signature Model, SYOS, tenor saxophone, Tivon Pennicott

Can You Hear a Difference Poll? Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Comparison

September 27, 2019 by Steve 21 Comments

This blog post is a follow up to my “Does the mouthpiece material make a difference? Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Comparison” post.  I am purposefully not putting a link to that article because I don’t want anyone to cheat. I will write it again, please do not cheat!  The purpose of this […]

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

Does the mouthpiece material make a difference? Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Comparison

September 16, 2019 by Steve 42 Comments

This blog post is about the age old question “Does the material a saxophone mouthpiece is made of make a difference?”  I have read hundreds, if not thousands of discussions on this subject since my earliest days on the internet in the 90’s.  Many of these online discussions would get quite heated with one side […]

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

New NY Meyer Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Compared to a Vintage NY Meyer Alto Sax Mouthpiece Review

June 22, 2019 by Steve 19 Comments

Since I recently wrote a review for a new NY Meyer (2019) alto saxophone mouthpiece as well as a vintage NY Meyer (1960’s) alto saxophone mouthpiece, I thought it would be interesting to do a side by side review of these two great alto saxophone mouthpieces side by side. These are from the “mouthpiece fun […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, comparison, JJ Babbitt, NY Meyer, review, saxophone, Vintage

Balam Saxophone Backstrap Comparison and Review

January 10, 2018 by Steve 24 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new saxophone neckstrap that I received from my saxophone repairman Jack Tyler at the Boston Sax Shop.  Jack has been my sax repairman since 2013 when my long time repairman Ernie Sola died.  The last 3-4 times I went in to see Ernie before he died he told me about […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: backstrap, Balam, best, Boston Sax Shop, comparison, Hyman, Just Joe's, neckstrap, review, Saxholder, saxophone

Comparison of the Theo Wanne Gaia and the Gaia 2 Soprano Sax Mouthpieces

April 7, 2017 by Steve 21 Comments

I did a review a few weeks back of the new Theo Wanne Gaia 2 soprano sax mouthpiece and have had a few people ask if I could make a comparison between the original Gaia mouthpiece and the Gaia 2 soprano mouthpiece. I have been playing the original Gaia for about seven years now and it has been […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: best mouthpiece, comparison, Gaia, Gaia 2, sax mouthpiece, soprano saxophone, Theo Wanne

A Fight to the Death-Legere Signature Synthetic Reeds Versus Cane Reeds

March 27, 2017 by Steve 45 Comments

Ladies and Gentlemen,  today we have an epic showdown between two heavyweight champions!  In one corner, we have the undisputed heavyweight reed in Steve Neff’s reed drawer.  This is the formidable master of disaster the “Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong Reed”.   In the other corner, we have a new comer to Steve Neff’s drawer. […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: cane reed, comparison, Legere Reeds, Rigotti Gold, saxophone, showdown

9 Great Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces to Compare

December 13, 2014 by Steve 11 Comments

This is from a comparison post I made some years ago of 9 great tenor saxophone mouthpieces.   I thought it was worthy of a repost since it has been awhile since I made it.   On all 9 clips I’m just playing a simple Bb blues (C for tenor) I’m trying to keep it relatively […]

Filed Under: Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: comparison, sax mouthpiece, sound clips, tenor saxophone

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Testimonials

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

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
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
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

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

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