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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

Sugal Super Gonz I 7*

February 9, 2009 by Steve Leave a Comment

Sugal Super Gonz 7* Here is a Sugal Super Gonz I tenor mouthpiece  that I bought off a friend of mine. This is from the mid 90’s and started out as a 8*.   I had Brian Powell bring it down to a 7* and clean up the facing quite a bit.  I played a Super […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Sugal Super Gonz, tenor mouthpiece

LAW LCD (Large Chamber Dark) .110

February 9, 2009 by Steve Leave a Comment

This is another LAW piece from Lawrence Waldron.  Every once in awhile he sends me a package in the mail with some pieces to try. These are as great as usual. This one is a LCD(Large Chamber Dark) and has a .110 tip opening. I really liked the sound of this piece. I actually didn’t […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: LAW mouthpiece, Lawrence Waldron, mouthpiece clip

Joshua Redman Transcription “Blues for Pat” Solo

January 11, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

Joshua Redman is one of my favorite tenor sax players out there. I especially love his early albums “Moodswing” and “Timeless Tales”. Here’s Joshua Redman transcription from the album “Live In San Francisco” with Pat Metheny.  This tune is called “Blues for Pat” and it’s a great solo on a blues form. Redman does a […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: blues for pat, joshua redman, tenor sax solo, transcription

Chris Potter: Transcription of Body and Soul

January 10, 2009 by Steve Leave a Comment

I received this Bb transcription from Kevin Jones who teaches at the University of South Carolina. This is from a version of Body and Soul that Chris played on for “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis: Season 1 Vol. 3”. There are some great elements to check out in this solo. I haven’t played through […]

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: Body and Soul, chris potter, transcription

No USA Florida Link

January 4, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

No USA Florida Link .105 This is a Florida Link I bought off ebay awhile ago.  I bought it because it was refaced and the seller didn’t know who had done it.  When I saw the pictures I  was pretty confident that it was Theo Wanne’s work. I can’t be 100% certain but I’ve had […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: florida link, no usa florida, Theo Wanne

Freddie Gregory Mark II 8* Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

January 4, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

This is a clip of one of my favorite tenor saxophone mouthpieces that I really regret selling. It was made by Freddie Gregory over in Spain, and is a hard rubber Mark II model tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  This mouthpiece had one of the biggest sounds of any tenor saxophone mouthpiece I have ever played. It […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: freddie gregory, hard rubber, mark II, review, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

Saxscape Hudson Model .113

January 3, 2009 by Steve Leave a Comment

Saxscape Hudson Model Refaced by Brian Powell to .113 I received this piece from a friend who wanted me to try it out. It was made by Ken Barry at Saxscape mouthpieces.  The person who owned it before me had Brian Powell reface it (I’m not sure why) It has berg like baffle in it […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: hudson model, saxscape mouthpieces

How Much Should My Child Practice?

November 8, 2008 by Steve Leave a Comment

I get asked this question quite often by concerned parents. What I usually recommend for fourth grade beginning students is 3 15-20 minute times a week. I find that if students do this they will make steady progress during the first year with no problems. Of course, if a student is really excited and wants […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education Tagged With: music student, Practice, student

Poll of 9 Tenor Mouthpieces

October 20, 2008 by Steve 6 Comments

I decided to run a poll for 9 sound clips I just made of my last 9 tenor mouthpieces.  I’m having a heck of a time deciding which ones to sell and I figured it would help me to play them side by side and record them.  On all 9 clips I’m just playing a […]

Filed Under: Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: blues, Brian Powell, mouthpiece poll, solo sax, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews

100 Top 40 Tunes Every Working Sax Player Should Know

September 23, 2008 by Steve 14 Comments

The other day one of my students said he wanted to get out of the house and start gigging and making some money. We’ve been working on standards and jazz improvisation over the last year or so. He asked me if I thought he was ready and we got into a discussion about playing out. […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: gigging sax player, saxophone repertoire, wedding gigs, working sax player

Sax Mouthpieces: The Length of the Facing Curve

August 16, 2008 by Steve 26 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of experimentation into different facing curve lengths on my alto and tenor saxophone. On my alto sax, I have been using mouthpieces that were all refaced by Brian Powell to .080 tip openings but with different facing curve lengths. These are what I’ve been using: Florida Hard Rubber Link-20mm facing […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto sax, Brian Powell, facing curve, sax mouthpiece

NeffMusic Lessons: Learning How To Learn!

July 14, 2008 by Steve Leave a Comment

I’m writing this article to all my Neffmusic members to help them get the most out their lessons at Neffmusic. In order to really get the most out of my lessons there are some skills that you need to develop. These lessons are a bit different than going to a teacher and taking one on […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, NeffMusic News Tagged With: jazz instruction, NeffMusic lesson, online lessons, steve neff, video lessons

Free Saxophone Intonation Tracking Graph

June 25, 2008 by Steve Leave a Comment

I made a video lesson on saxophone intonation where I taught about charting your intonation tendencies of your saxophone by using a tuner. What you do is play naturally for a few seconds and then end on the target note and while holding it turn and look at the tuner. You then put a mark […]

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: intonation tendencies, sax intonation graph

Chris Potter on Standards Transcription Book

May 17, 2008 by Steve 1 Comment

While I was searching the internet a few weeks ago, I stumbled across this site. AJ Kluth has put out a transcription book of Chris Potter solos. Chris Potter is a phenomenal tenor saxophone player that is pretty popular on the jazz scene these days.  I’ve been working on transcribing a few Chris Potter solos […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: AJ Kluth, chris potter, jazz sax, jazz solos, solo, standards, tenor sax, tenor saxophone, transcription, transcription book

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Testimonials

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

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.
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

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
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 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 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
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
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
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
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
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

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
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
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

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
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!
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)

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
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
Just a brief note to compliment you on your teaching skills and in particular for the honesty of your lessons.  I am a returning alto sax player in my 50’s and I was looking for a no nonsense, straight to the point kind of guidance. I had intended to email you with a few questions regarding the use of the bis key but then I noticed that there was a lesson on that specific topic and after viewing it,  all my questions were answered. I once took a group lesson with a well known professional sax … Read more
Patrick
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

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