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review

Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Hard Rubber Tenor Mouthpiece Review

July 27, 2019 by Steve 24 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, hard rubber, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone, Theo Wanne

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

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

Westcoast Sax High Roller Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

June 21, 2019 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new alto saxophone mouthpiece called the High Roller from Westcoast Sax.  Matt Lee at Westcoast Sax was nice enough to send me a sample High Roller alto sax mouthpiece to try out. This metal alto sax mouthpiece is a high baffle mouthpiece with an 8 tip opening which is a […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto saxophone mouthpiece, high baffle, High Roller, review, westcoast sax

Vintage New York Meyer USA 4M Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Refaced By Jimmy Jensen Review

June 15, 2019 by Steve 20 Comments

Today, I’m lucky to be able to play and review a vintage New York Meyer medium chamber alto saxophone mouthpiece.  Jimmy Jensen at Tenor Madness was nice enough to send me what he called a “mouthpiece funbox”.  This was a box of special and unique mouthpieces that Jimmy thought I might find interesting.  Among the […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, jazz sax, jimmy jensen, Meyer, new york, review, USA, Vintage

GetaSax Echo Master Brilhart 3-Band Style Saxophone Ligature Review

May 31, 2019 by Steve 8 Comments

I received an email a couple of months ago from a fan of the site asking if I could review these new Echo Master ligatures (formerly Echo Brass) being sold by Getasax.com.  These are reproductions of the infamous Brilhart 3-band ligature that Kenny Garrett uses.  I have been curious about these ligatures ever since I […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: 3 band, Brilhart, Echo Brass, Echo Master, EchoBrass, Echomaster, Getasax, ligature, review, saxophone, three band, triple band

The Boston Sax Shop Black Box Custom Tenor Saxophone Reeds Review

May 30, 2019 by Steve 76 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new BSS custom saxophone reed released by Jack Tyler at the Boston Sax Shop.  Jack has been my repairman for the last six years and always gives me the inside scoop on new saxophone gear that is coming out. Besides being a phenomenal repairman and craftsman, Jack is always up […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Boston Sax Shop, BSS, custom, dark rich tone, Jack Finucane, reeds, review, saxophone reed

Brand Spankin’ New Florida Otto Link Metal 100th Anniversary Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

May 26, 2019 by Steve 22 Comments

A few weeks ago, I reviewed a new 100th anniversary model Florida Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece by JJ Babbitt that I found out after the fact was refaced by Jimmy Jensen at Tenor Madness. I decided to proceed with the review anyways with the hopes that I would soon get a brand new JJ […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 100th Anniversary Model, brand new, Florida Otto Link, mouthpiece, review, tenor saxophone

NY Meyer 100th Anniversary Model Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

May 1, 2019 by Steve 47 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new NY Meyer 100th Anniversary Model Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece by JJ Babbitt.  The vintage NY Meyer alto sax mouthpieces from the 1960’s are some of the most sought after vintage alto sax mouthpieces on the market today.  When I heard the news that JJ Babbitt was coming out with a […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 100th anniversary, alto mouthpiece, JJ Babbitt, NY Meyer, review, saxophone

Florida Otto Link Metal 100th Anniversary Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece refaced by Jimmy Jensen Review

April 29, 2019 by Steve 26 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a new 100th anniversary model Florida Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece refaced by Jimmy Jensen.  The vintage metal Florida Otto Link tenor sax mouthpieces from the 1960’s are some of the most sought after vintage Otto Links on the vintage sax mouthpiece market today.  When I heard the news that JJ […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 100th Anniversary Model, Florida Otto Link, JJ Babbitt, mouthpiece, review, tenor saxophone

JX Custom JXFL 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 19, 2019 by Steve 27 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the JX Custom JXFL 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece that is said to be similar in design to a Francois Louis solid silver 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece like Bob Berg used to play.    This is made by Jianxing Li in Guangzhou, China. A number of months ago, I was contacted and […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Bob Berg, Francois Louis, Jianxing Li, JX Custom, JXFL, review, tenor mouthpiece

JX Custom JXKM 8 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 17, 2019 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the JX Custom JXKM 8 soprano saxophone mouthpiece that is said to be similar in design to a Miami Dukoff 8 soprano sax mouthpiece like Kenny G plays.    This is made by Jianxing Li in Guangzhou, China. A number of months ago, I was contacted and asked if I would […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Dukoff, Jianxing Li, JX Custom, JXKM, Kenny G, review, soprano mouthpiece

JX Custom JXRO 8 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 16, 2019 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the JX Custom JXRO 8 alto saxophone mouthpiece.    This is made by Jianxing Li in Guangzhou, China.  A number of months ago, I was contacted and asked if I would consider reviewing the sax mouthpieces in the photo below for Mr. Li.  They look to be quite the arsenal of […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, jazz sax, JX Custom, JXRO, mouthpiece, review, Sanborn

The Rhythm Book-Intermediate Notation and Sight-Reading by Rory Stuart Review

February 13, 2019 by Steve Leave a Comment

Today, I am reviewing “The Rhythm Book-Intermediate Notation and Sight-Reading” by Rory Stuart that is published by Hal Leonard.  Rory Stuart has written a great beginning book for those of you who want to understand rhythm and notation in a deeper way that I reviewed the other day.  Today I will be writing about his […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Intermediate Notation, music education, review, Rory Stuart, sight reading, The Rhythm Book

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NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

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
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

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

Hi Steve,

First, I want to thank you for all of your great lessons. They are like a “For Dummies” version of all the books on my shelf. The lessons break things down into manageable pieces, and give me the confidence that I’m practicing the right pieces. I’m starting to make progress.   Thank You,   Kim

Kim
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry

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
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
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 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
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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