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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

LAW Buzzer, JVW Link, Kali Comparison

August 14, 2009 by Steve 9 Comments

I thought I would put up a comparison clip of my 3 favorite tenor mouthpieces  so we could hear the differences in their sounds. The three mouthpieces are a Theo Wanne Kali, a Jon Van Wie STM Link and a LAW Buzzer. All three  mouthpieces are around a .110 tip opening.  They were all done […]

Filed Under: Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Jon Van Wie, Kali mouthpiece, Law Buzzer, tenor mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Dave Jary Customized Otto Link Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

I received this from a friend of mine to try.  It is an old metal link that Phil Barone worked on at one time.  It has the Barone engraving on it and the link ridge is gone as Phil does when he refaces a link.  You can’t tell it use to be a link except […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Dave Jary, otto link, Phil Barone, tenor mouthpiece

Greg Wier GW Slant 7* Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 9 Comments

I received this on trial from another SOTW member.  There was a thread on it that has since been closed where there was quite a bit of disagreement about this mouthpiece.  I was intrigued and curious so when I saw one for sale I asked if I could try it. I have to say that […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: greg wier, GW Slant, tenor mouthpiece

Great Theo Wanne Florida Link Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 6 Comments

This is a florida link from the 60’s.  It was originally an 8 but was worked on by Theo Wanne who closed it down to .100.    I’m really loving it.  I bought this from Mark Sepinuck(10mfan).  He posted on SOTW that he had a Florida Link that was by far the best Florida Link […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: florida link, tenor mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Berg Larsen 120/1 SMS Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 12 Comments

This is the first Berg Larsen I  have ever played.  It’s one of the stainless steel ones.  A friend of mine said he found this and it was a good mouthpiece so I scooped it up.  Although it has a high baffle it isn’t that bright sounding but has a big full loud sound. I […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Beg Larsen, tenor mouthpiece

Phil-Tone Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 4 Comments

I received my Phil-Tone tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Philip Engleman.   Phil is known as Sigmund451 on SOTW. (Sax on the Web)  I opened the package and put the reed I had been playing on my hard rubber Otto Link on it and it played great right from the start.  I was very impressed with […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Phil Engleman, Phil-tone, tenor mouthpiece

Saxscape NF .108 Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 3 Comments

I’ve been curious about these mouthpieces for awhile now.  They are made by Ken Barry in PA. His website is  www.Saxscape.com I appreciate Ken Barry because not only is he a craftsman but he is a great player also.  I find his website  very enjoyable to visit because Ken puts up real clips of his […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ken Barry, Saxscape NF, tenor mouthpiece

Peter Ponzol ML Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

About 7 years ago I had a Peter Ponzol ML .110 tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  It was my favorite mouthpiece at the time.  Big fat sound but when I pushed it it had loads of power. There was only one problem…..I could never find good reeds for it.  It would always fail the suction test and […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Peter Ponzol, Ponzol ML, tenor mouthpiece

Ralph Morgan 9M Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 5 Comments

This is a Ralph Morgan tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I won off ebay.  These are the best tenor mouthpieces for the price out there.  I’ve owned 3 of Mr. Morgans mouthpieces as well as 3 of his clarinet mouthpieces.  Very consistent work.  You know when you order a Morgan that you won’t get a dud. […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Morgan 9M, Ralph Morgan, tenor mouthpiece

Early Babbitt Otto Link .110 Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 3 Comments

This is the Early Babbitt Otto Link I have posted about before. The last SP  otto link I got that Brian Powell had worked on was a .110 and I loved it. I t just felt like the tip opening was where I felt the most comfortable.  I sent this Early Babbitt Otto Link (.105) […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, early babbitt, otto link, tenor mouthpiece

Mouthpiece Cafe Bergonzi Slant Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 12 Comments

Everything I’ve played of Brian Powell’s I’ve loved and this is no exception.  This is his new Bergonzi Slant model.  The Bergonzi Slant by Mouthpiece Cafe plays effortlessly and has a beautiful tone to it. I’ve never played a great slant but I’ve been told my Early Babbitt HR link plays like one.   I […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Bergonzi Slant, Brain Powell, mouthpiece Cafe, tenor mouthpiece

SP Otto Link Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 3 Comments

This is another SP otto link that Brian Powell refaced and brought the beak down on.  I love these mouthpieces.  They are not too dark, not too bright but can really blow when you lay into them.  This is a .110 and is a little darker than the .107 Otto Link I had.  I saw […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, SP Otto Link, tenor mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Amma 7* Tenor Mouthpiece

August 13, 2009 by Steve 13 Comments

This is the new AMMA mouthpiece being produced by Theo Wanne.  A friend on SOTW generously offered to let me borrow his and try it out.  When I opened the package the first thing I noticed was the quality of the mouthpiece.  The tip, rails and baffle were perfect as well as the outside of […]

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Amma, tenor mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne NY Link Tenor Mouthpiece

August 13, 2009 by Steve 1 Comment

This is a NY link that I won off ebay that was advertised as worked on by Theo Wanne.  When I received this piece it was a 7*.  It had a nice sound but I felt that when I pushed it hard it got too bright and harsh sounding.   It has a medium baffle […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: NY link, tenor mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

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NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

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
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 have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
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
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
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’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
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’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

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

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin

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
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, 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 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 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

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 like so many other subscribers feel so encouraged by Steve’s learning techniques; you will enjoy reading the comments of praise others have left as you too will feel that you share a common view and path. I feel very lucky to have come across Neffmusic and that feeling will remain with you as you search through a treasure trove of learning materials on offer, you will quickly find the lessons that you are suited to. You will instantly recognize the unparalleled quality of Steve’s teaching … Read more
Stephen

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

Hello Steve,

I have not received my alto yet but have already gone through 14 lessons. I love your approach, style, knowledge and competence. I now regret so much to have stayed away from playing the sax for the past 45-50 years…(I am 65).  But It is never too late to get back to your first love. After 23 years in compuer sciences and 22 years in finances…I am now back to music for the rest of my life.

Doing some research on the net, I found this:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?1… Read more

Claude
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

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