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tenor sax

Claude Lakey 7*3 Original Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 20, 2025 by Steve 6 Comments

Today, I will be reviewing a Claude Lakey Original 7*3  tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I was able to borrow from Ellis Music (a local music store here in Vermont).  The last time I tried a Claude Lakey mouthpiece on the tenor saxophone was in college about 37 years ago.  I remember the mouthpiece I tried […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 7*3, Claude Lakey, Original Tenor, review, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

NJS Hummingbird 8* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

August 20, 2024 by Steve 13 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new NJS Hummingbird 8* (.115) bronze tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by a young mouthpiece maker named Nick Stahl from the Seattle area.  This review wasn’t going to happen but then Nick Stahl sent me a few tempting photos that were too much for me to resist and […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: bronze, Guardala, Hummingbird, mouthpiece review, Nick Stahl, NJS, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

10mFan Cabernet Octagon Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

January 15, 2024 by Steve 7 Comments

Today, I am reviewing an exciting new tenor saxophone mouthpiece from 10mFan saxophone mouthpieces that is designed with a new innovative octagon shaped chamber by 3-D technology.  This is the 10mFan Cabernet 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.   I have already reviewed a number of great 10mFan tenor, alto and soprano saxophone hard rubber mouthpieces in the […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 10mFan, Cabernet, octagon chamber, review, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

Ryan Devlin Burnin’ Tenor Sax Solo on Softly as a Morning Sunrise Transcription

November 25, 2023 by Steve 2 Comments

Here is a burnin’ tenor saxophone solo on Softly as a Morning Sunrise that the young saxophonist, Ryan Devlin posted on Facebook a number of months ago.  As soon as I heard it, I saved the URL to my computer file entitled “Solos to Transcribe”.  Yesterday, I decided to get her done and here is […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: jazz saxophone, Ryan Devlin, Softly as a Morning Sunrise, tenor sax, transcription

One Ligature to Rule Them All? Roberto’s Winds Uovo Tenor Saxophone Ligature Review

June 17, 2022 by Steve 24 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new Roberto’s Winds Uovo {woh-voh} tenor saxophone ligature for metal tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  The Uovo ligature is advertised by Roberto’s as being “the only tenor saxophone ligature designed to generate sympathetic resonance, enriching the harmonic palette to enable your very best sound.  It opens up, enriches, and projects its sound […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: ligature, metal mouthpiece, otto link, review, Roberto's Winds, saxophone, tenor sax, Uovo

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 16, 2022 by Steve 49 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Aaron Drake at Drake mouthpieces.  This Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece was inspired by a Freddie Gregory  hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece that Jeff Coffin plays and that Aaron Drake did some work on. Aaron told me that […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, FG model, freddie gregory, jazz sax, Jeff Coffin, Mark IV, mouthpiece, review, tenor sax, tenor saxophone

Will the Real Michael Brecker’s Sax Mouthpiece Please Stand Up?

February 2, 2022 by Steve 75 Comments

I wanted to write a blog post on this subject because there has been a lot of discussion and confusion over the years about the Guardala tenor saxophone mouthpiece that Michael Brecker played on.    I started a discussion on this subject on Facebook but thought it would be good to post what I discovered […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Guardala, Michael Brecker, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

Revisiting a Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 5, 2021 by Steve 19 Comments

Today, I am again reviewing one of my favorite tenor saxophone mouthpieces, my beloved Lamberson J7 hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I have had for about 14+ years.  I reviewed the Lamberson J7 many years ago here on the site but the original Lamberson J7 review is pretty lame compared to my standards for […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Fred, hard rubber, J7, Lamberson, review, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

September 20, 2021 by Steve 11 Comments

Today, I am reviewing a Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Aaron Drake at Drake mouthpieces.  This Drake tenor mouthpiece is advertised as  “rollover baffle contour – identical to the Drake Bergonzi “EB” model – with a raised floor contour which gives the mouthpiece greater projection without being […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, jazz sax, jerry bergonzi, master series, mouthpiece, power resonance, review, tenor sax, tenor saxophone

Great Video Interview of the Saxophone Player and Teacher George Garzone!!

May 11, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Here is a great interview of the tenor sax player and teacher George Garzone by Jay Metcalf of BetterSax that I just stumbled upon on Youtube today. I studied with George Garzone for a short time at Berklee College of Music in the late 80’s (I wish I could have studied more with him but […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education Tagged With: george garzone, saxophone, teacher, tenor sax, video interview

Lupifaro Evo Tenor and Alto Saxophone Reeds Review

March 26, 2021 by Steve 6 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Lupifaro  Evo custom saxophone reeds sold by Lupifaro reeds in Switzerland.  Lupifaro reeds reached out to me a few months ago and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their saxophone reeds.  They sent me a box of five 2 1/2 and a box of five 3 strength tenor […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: alto sax, custom, Evo, Lupifaro, reeds, review, Rigotti cane, saxophone reed, tenor sax

Herb Hardesty I’m Walking Tenor Sax Solo Transcription

March 26, 2021 by Steve 4 Comments

Today, I am sharing a unique tenor saxophone solo transcription that is in a totally different genre of music than I usually listen to or transcribe.  This is Herb Hardesty’s great tenor saxophone solo on the 1957 rock n’roll song “I’m Walking” by Fats Domino. I have to be honest and admit that I haven’t […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: 50's Rock N'Roll, Fats Domino, Herb Hardesty, I'm Walking, tenor sax, tenor saxophone, transcription

Roberto’s Winds RW Tenor, Alto and Soprano Saxophone Reeds Review

March 15, 2021 by Steve 6 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the RW Roberto’s Winds custom saxophone reeds released by Roberto Romeo at Roberto’s Winds in NYC.  Roberto’s Winds reached out to me a few months ago and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their saxophone reeds.  They sent me nine boxes of sax reeds in a variety of strengths […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: alto sax, custom, reeds, review, Rigotti cane, Roberto Romeo, Roberto's Winds, saxophone reed, soprano sax, tenor sax

10mFan Celebration Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

February 25, 2021 by Steve 95 Comments

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

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 10mFan, Celebration, hard rubber, review, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

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Testimonials

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
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

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 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

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

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.
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
Two years later I began a search for a sax teacher and happened to come across Steve Neff when I was searching YouTube for sax teachers.  I went to neffmusic.com and was very impressed with the lessons Steve Neff was offering.  The concept of selecting lessons was an approach that I thought was unique and purchased a few lessons.  I liked the lessons so much that I signed-up for a 6 month package. I was very happy with all the lessons I selected.  I also purchased Steve’s book Mastering the B… Read more
Michael
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- 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
Hi Steve, I live in a gorgeous but rural area of Oregon-no music store within 80 miles. Your lessons are my lifeline!  Truly the best there are anywhere online. Love your playing. Love your teaching.  Thanks again. Ed
Ed Woodmansee
I just started looking at my lessons and I have to say, dude you are awesome.  I ABSOLUTELY will learn from you!  I started the tenor about 1 ½ yrs ago and have since picked up an alto, and more recently a soprano.  I spend most of the time on the tenor, followed by soprano, and have only gotten to the alto a few times.  I think I’ll be sticking with tenor.  I’m having a great time and hope one day to play well enough to get regular gigs.  I’ve been playing keys for about 35 years (… Read more
Wil
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane

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
Thanks so much for putting all this great learning material out there. I don’t often have the time to take a lesson with a teacher, so the ability to download lessons is really invaluable. My playing has improved enormously (I think :)) – and the lessons are so varied there’s always something to be inspired by. Incredible value too!
Roger
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
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
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

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
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 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
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

Never really had lessons before just kinda worked things out on my own. Was in a rut but your lessons are really helpful in opening melodic possibilities. Ur an awesome resource to the saxophone community. Thanks for sharing. 

Anthony

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