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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

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

Get·A·Sax GS Freddie Gregory Super Deluxe MARK II Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

December 25, 2022 by Steve 12 Comments

Today,  I am reviewing the GetASax GS Freddie Gregory Super Deluxe MARK II Copy tenor saxophone mouthpieces in a 7, 7* and 8 tip opening.  These GetASax Mark II tenor sax mouthpieces are replicas of great playing, original facing,  Freddie Gregory MARK II tenor saxophone mouthpieces. These cool white mouthpieces are made by Brian Curry […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Curry, freddie gregory, Getasax, mark II, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

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

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 15, 2022 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new Ambika 3 hard rubber soprano saxophone mouthpiece 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 saxophone […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ambika 3, hard rubber, Jan Garbarek, review, sax mouthpiece, soprano saxophone, Theo Wanne

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

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 14, 2022 by Steve 24 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new BetterSax Burnin’ 7* hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces. Jay Metcalf has a fantastic Youtube channel on all things saxophone entitled “Better Sax” with over 284K subscribers at the time of this review.  […]

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

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

10mFan Supernova Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

September 30, 2022 by Steve 22 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new alto saxophone mouthpiece from 10mFan saxophone mouthpieces.  This is the Supernova 7 hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece.   I have already reviewed a number of great 10mFan tenor, alto and soprano saxophone mouthpieces in the past that you can find here. Whenever Mark Sepinuck, at 10mFan mouthpieces, comes out with […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 10mFan, alto sax, hard rubber, review, saxophone mouthpiece, Supernova

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

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

July 30, 2022 by Steve 36 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new Otto Link Early Babbitt remake connoisseur series tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by JJ Babbitt.  The Connoisseur EB (Early Babbitt) tenor saxophone mouthpieces are advertised as being from the same molds as the original hard rubber Otto Link Early Babbitt tenor sax mouthpieces as described in this quote from the […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Connoisseur Series, early babbitt, EB, JJ Babbitt, mouthpiece, otto link, review, tenor saxophone, Tone Edge

Vermont Wooden Toy Factory Saxophone Mouthpiece Stand Review

July 1, 2022 by Steve 8 Comments

A bunch of you have asked me about these beautiful wooden mouthpiece stands I have been using lately on social media.  They are made by a friend of mine up here in Vermont whose name is Pat Slater.  I met Pat at church one Sunday and as we were making small talk, I asked him […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, mouthpiece stand, Pat Slater, review, sax, saxophone, soprano mouthpiece, tenor mouthpiece, Vermont Wooden Toy Factory, vtwoodtoy, wooden

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Testimonials

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

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
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

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 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

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 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’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
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

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

Mr. Neff,  I want to thank you for sharing your God-given talents through your on-line lessons.  My husband, Michael, is blind, but he is a great sax player and he has been enjoying your lessons for quite some time now.  It’s not unusual for me to hear “Hey, babe, listen to THIS!” – and he will cut loose on his sax, just thrilled at what he learned during his session with you.  His excitement warms my heart!  You have no idea how much you have poured into my husband.  You have opened musical … Read more

Carole B
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!
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
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
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

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
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 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
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
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

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