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Hi! I am Steve Neff

I have been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for the last 30+ years. I love teaching and anything to do with the saxophone. I hope you find this website helpful in your musical journey. Thanks, Steve

Theo Wanne Gold Kali Alto Mouthpiece

August 2, 2010 by Steve 7 Comments

Here’s another Theo Wanne alto mouthpiece for you to check out.  I just received a ton of these and I’m working my way through them.  This is a brushed gold Kali mouthpiece.  It is an 8 tip opening which is around a .080 I believe.  This is similar to the Durga mouthpiece I reviewed earlier […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, hard rubber, Kali metal mouthpiece, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne Gold Durga Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

August 2, 2010 by Steve 8 Comments

This is a Theo Wanne gold Durga alto saxophone mouthpiece.  This has a higher and longer baffle than the other Theo Wanne mouthpieces I have played.  The baffle looks to be in two stages.  The first stage is high and looks to be about half an inch long.  At that point there is a ledge […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Durga alto, mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne HR Amma Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

August 2, 2010 by Steve 4 Comments

This is a Theo Wanne hard rubber Amma alto saxophone mouthpiece. Theo was kind enough to send me a big box of mouthpieces to try out and I spent all morning playing and recording them.  This Amma is an .080 tip opening and is made out of hard rubber.  The Amma has a slightly higher […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Amma mouthpiece, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne HR Gaia 8 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

August 2, 2010 by Steve 1 Comment

This is a Theo Wanne hard rubber Gaia 8 alto saxophone mouthpiece.  Theo was kind enough to send me a big box of mouthpieces to try out and I spent all morning playing and recording them.  I already put up a clip of a Gaia 6 alto mouthpiece a couple of weeks ago.  This one […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Gaia Hard Rubber, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Great Hal Galper Masterclass Videos

August 1, 2010 by Steve 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 […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education Tagged With: Hal Galper, Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation, masterclass

MacSax Empyreal Alto Saxophone

July 20, 2010 by Steve 10 Comments

Today, I’m reviewing the MacSax Empyreal Alto Saxophone.  This sax is manufactured in Taiwan for the MacSax company in Austin Texas. This is the Unlacquered Finish model.  It looks like bare brass which gives it a cool vintage look.  I am told that the brass is subjected to a gas treatment that gives it a […]

Filed Under: Sax Reviews, Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Empyreal Alto Saxophone, Gaia, MacSax, sax mouthpiece, Taiwan saxophones, Theo Wanne

What Difference Does the Saxophone Ligature Make? Part 2

July 16, 2010 by Steve 55 Comments

In part one of this blog post on “the differences a ligature can make” I talked about the difference a ligature can make to a saxophone player from his or her perspective.  (For those of you who don’t know,  the ligature is the device that holds the saxophone reed to the mouthpiece)  How it can […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, mouthpiece ligatures

Drake Vintage Resin NY Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

July 15, 2010 by Steve 37 Comments

Yesterday,  I received a box from Aaron Drake at Drake Mouthpieces. I couldn’t open it fast enough. Inside were 3 brand new vintage resin alto saxophone mouthpieces for me to try. I’ve been wanting to try these for months now and I was very excited.  This is the second mouthpiece I tried of the three. […]

Filed Under: Alto Low Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, alto mouthpiece, Alto Saxophone, NY Jazz, vintage resin

Drake Vintage Resin Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Comparison

July 14, 2010 by Steve 20 Comments

I thought I’d put up a comparison post of the three Drake vintage resin alto saxophone mouthpieces I received today.  I will be doing a separate review for each mouthpiece but I thought that if I played a simple melody on all 3 next to each other you could hear the differences better.  On these […]

Filed Under: Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, alto mouthpiece, contemporary, Drake Mouthpieces, NY Jazz, vintage resin

Drake Vintage Resin Contemporary Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

July 14, 2010 by Steve 13 Comments

I’m starting to get overwhelmed by how many great mouthpieces are out there today.  This morning  I received a box from Aaron Drake at Drake Mouthpieces.   I couldn’t open it fast enough.  Inside were 3 brand new vintage resin alto saxophone mouthpieces for me to try.  I’ve been wanting to try these for months […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, alto mouthpiece, Alto Saxophone, contemporary, Drake Mouthpieces, vintage resin

Warburton Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece by Eric Falcon

July 12, 2010 by Steve 8 Comments

This is a Warburton soprano saxophone mouthpiece made by Eric Falcon.  This is one of the best soprano mouthpieces I have had the pleasure of playing.   It plays effortlessly and has a big fat soprano sound to it.  The first day I played on it, I actually recorded a few lessons with it because I […]

Filed Under: Soprano Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Eric Falcon, soprano mouthpiece, soprano saxophone, Warburton mouthpieces

Theo Wanne Gaia 6 Hard Rubber Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

July 9, 2010 by Steve 11 Comments

This is another great mouthpiece by Theo Wanne.  This is a Gaia 6 alto saxophone mouthpiece that came with a Macsax alto that I’m trying out (more on that later).  This sax mouthpiece has  a nice baffle in it as you can see from the pictures. The baffle slopes down into the chamber and is […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, Alto Saxophone, Gaia mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Warburton Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

July 5, 2010 by Steve 5 Comments

This is a new Warburton alto saxophone mouthpiece.  These are made by Eric Falcon who is a top notch mouthpiece refacer.  This mouthpiece has an .080 tip opening.  I consider it to have a brighter sound but still fat sounding.  It’s a bit fatter sounding than the PT Meyer that I put up yesterday.  There […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, Eric Falcon, Warburton mouthpieces

Meyer Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Refaced by Phil Engleman

July 3, 2010 by Steve 19 Comments

This is a new Meyer medium chamber alto saxophone mouthpiece that is made by JJ Babbitt.  If you have been an alto saxophone player for any length of time you will know the  mouthpiece name “Meyer”.   It is one of the most popular alto saxophone mouthpieces ever sold.   When I was a kid, i remember […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, Alto Saxopone, Meyer alto, Phil Engleman

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Testimonials

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
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
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

Love your lessons!  I have been using your lesson packages for many months now, and am learning a lot.  It is so perfect for me with a very busy adult schedule and difficulty in taking jazz/improv music lessons from reputable instructors who live and hour or more away from me.

Lenore
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

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
I have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
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’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
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 have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
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
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella

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

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

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
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

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
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 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 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

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
Thank you so much for the great job you are doing to help further our jazz studies. Though I make my living as a repairer of musical instruments I am a student of jazz and have been fortunate enough to be involved with a big band and a combo for the last several years. As my children began to leave “the nest” I had decided to dedicate the next half of my life to a more serious study of the sax but I didn’t know exactly how I would go about doing this until a friend of mine turned me onto your si… Read more
Jon

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