Now that the Neffmusic site has over 500 lessons to choose from, the two questions I get asked the most every week are: “Where should I start?” and “What should I do next?” (Also, “What mouthpiece should I buy?” but that is a different subject than we are dealing with today). To answer these questions, I Read More…
Liam Byrne Tenor Saxophone Blues Solo Transcription
November 19, 2014 by 5 Comments
Here’s a nice swingin’ blues solo transcription I started working on a few days ago. This is from a young tenor sax player, Liam Byrne. The group is called BBQ and stands for Brownfield/Byrne Quintet. Here’s a short Bio about Liam Byrne from his website: ‘…Saxophonist Liam Byrne, from North Wales (UK), studied at Leeds College Read More…
The Real Latin Book Review
June 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Anyone who has been following my blog for awhile knows that I can be a bit of a nut when it comes to Real Books. I love getting new tunes that I have never played and trying them out on gigs. Sometimes when I do a duo gig for a cocktail hour the piano player Read More…
2013 Thelonious Monk Jazz Saxophone Competition
April 24, 2014 by 5 Comments
I wanted to share this video that is on Youtube of the 2013 Thelonious Monk Saxophone competition. I first heard of the Thelonious Monk competition in the early 90’s. I believe the competition started out in the late 80’s as a piano competition and then started including other instruments in the early 90’s. 1991 was Read More…
Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz and Funk Soloing
February 25, 2014 by 19 Comments
I just finished a brand new Neffmusic book that I am very excited about. The description is below: An inside approach to outside playing using pentatonics, chromaticism, 3-tonic systems and intervallic patterns to produce modern lines in the style of Michael Brecker and Bob Berg. Devastating Minor Lines contains 100 16th note lines written out Read More…
Dexter Gordon “More than You Know” Documentary
February 23, 2013 by 5 Comments
Here’s a great video documentary on the life and playing of the great tenor saxophone player Dexter Gordon. It is called “More than You Know”. I’ve watched it a number of times and absolutely love it. Check out the blues “Blues Walk” that starts playing around 1:13! Dexter kills this blues. His lines and quotes Read More…
Become a Neffmusic Member and Save!
November 28, 2011 by 2 Comments
I have had a number of people who have wanted to become members of my site but who don’t want to sign up through paypal. I have decided to set up this page for them so that they can purchase a 3,6 or 12 month membership just by using a credit card. Once I receive Read More…
Great Hal Galper Masterclass Videos
August 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Here are some great clips from youtube of a Hal Galper masterclass. Hal Galper is a great piano player who has has played with many of the jazz legends. I came to know him from some Phil Woods albums I had growing up. These are great to watch a number of times. Hal is such Read More…
Practicing away from your instrument! Part 1
September 17, 2009 by 3 Comments
I had a lesson the other day with a student and I realized that he was really having a hard time coming up with melodic ideas and phrases. I asked him “Do you ever sing?” “No!” “How about humming?” “No!” “How about in the shower?” “No!” This really got me thinking about things Read More…
Approach Note Books and Lessons
May 8, 2009 by Leave a Comment
“Approach Note Velocity” by Steve Neff Approach Note Velocity is a book that I created for myself so that I could master all the different approach notes in every key. I have divided the book up into sections by key and have written out the exercises so that you can practice them and read them Read More…
Getting the Most from Neffmusic Online Lesson
February 27, 2009 by 1 Comment
To get most out of my NeffMusic Online Lessons I would suggest a few simple ideas. 1. Focus on one topic like Blues scales, Approach Notes, Pentatonics……..etc. In my mind it’s always better to focus on one topic at a time and master it. Working on bits and pieces of 10 different lessons and not Read More…
Kenny Werner Masterclass
December 3, 2007 by Leave a Comment
This is a great masterclass by Kenny Werner. I’ve been a fan of Kenny Werner since I read his book “Effortless Mastery” a number of years ago. I love his mindset of letting go of the fear and distraction that can attack us when we perform. So often when I was younger, I would be Read More…
Practicing Jazz Saxophone With Focus
June 14, 2007 by Leave a Comment
One of my biggest weaknesses when I was a kid was practicing without a specific focus. I wanted to do it all, play everything, be the best. I wanted results now. I would spend endless hours in the practice room practicing everything. The problem was, I wasn’t focused. I didn’t set goals. Instead of getting Read More…
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