Sax + lesson
After slacking off the whole weekend up until today had a hour or so plus the lesson. Tone’s coming on well. Belinda said I needed to work on more ’support’ which seems to mean helping the note out with breath from the core rather than throat. Like vocal projection. Also learnt a rhythmic aid (vicar!) crochets, quavers, triples, semiquavers: ta-ta-ta-ta, tee-tee-tee-tee, tri-o-la, tiki tiki. Was gratified to discover the elusive middle G is something to do with my sax not me! Need to get it cleaned or something.
Sax tones
After my disheartening experience last time not hitting notes it all magically Just Worked™ today. The bizarre embouchure came more easily and I was consistently within a few cents of easily three maybe four notes 
My D’ sounds really muffled; C & E either side are fine. Have to ask teacher about that. Poked about with G & F scales, resorting to just fingering after 22:30…
(60mins on and off)
Flute octaves
No tunes, just trying to extend my range. Practiced C,C’,C'’,C”’(no chance), ditto D and E to get the top “altissimo” fingering and training my lips’ muscle memory. A bit of success toward the end jumping up and down the octaves, finishing with a sketchy chromatic scale from bottom C to high E and back a couple of times–all in one breath…not!
(30mins)
Sax tone
Argh, 30mins substantially not getting the right pitch. I practised the ‘ooo’ shape and less lip and it helps somewhat. Still consistently flat though. I was getting it at the end G,A,B,C,D within a few cents but C and D skid around all over the place AND I had to have my lips tighter than a drum skin…
Tone advantage: Flute :-/
First sax lesson!
Monday afternoon I was comprehensively soaked in the downpour for a 30min lesson with Belinda Evangelista who is both really nice and lives really close to my place, less distance even than Earlsfield (my local) train station. I discovered that I have far too much of my lower lip on the reed - that, and mouthing “oooo” for a note had a dramatic difference on the tone. It didn’t sound like a duck any more, basically. Also discovered it’s OK to have an alto between your legs rather than to one side. Which is a relief as that was starting to get uncomfortable.
I was surprised and delighted to discover Belinda’s first lesson is free!
Flute
Tone is starting to become a lot more solid although this practice showed it’s not consistent up and down the range. Like, with a particular mouth the tone around a few notes is fine but away from there it gets breathy or weak. The Polly Wolly Doodle song with lots of tongued quavers also showed up tone issues. A softer tonguing seemed to help a bit.
From this session I’ve been trying to not read the music beyond the first or second time through so I can a) get into the proper posture (no music stand, just a wheelchair & a cushion…) b) concentrate on the sound c) not be such a sheet music-dependent numbskull. Seems to be working although don’t feel any less a musical numbskull, just yet…
(45mins)
Sax (30mins)
Warmed up on Abracadabra songs 17-19 from last time aiming for accurate cresc./dim. and piano to forte on 19. Pressed on with new ground: songs 20-25 with new notes D and Bb. Focussed on tone and getting C/D with accurate pitch. My ear’s definitely getting better/more confident (not sure which) in that I know when it’s wrong. When it’s mostly right I’m still not sure where it’s off though.
Song 21 (Winter Goodbye) was a challenge for some reason. Specifically, b4 (c4 d4) d4 c8b8 c4 a4(b4 c4). Got it in the end though.
Quarter of the way through the book and I’m being able to play actual recognisable tunes e.g. “When the saints go marching in”, “Theme from New World”, “Polly-wolly-doodle”, which is satisfying.
Tone and consistency is definitely much better too.
Sax
Started on the Abracadabra book. Breathing I’m finding easier on a sax I think due to the resistance. I can get far more music out with the same air than with a flute. Passed yesterday’s song 14 checkpoint and am up to #19. Still at that annoying clueless beginner stage where the music being produced isn’t that interesting, so mostly hammering through tunes as soon as I get them. It’s progressing though, and the sax just automatically sounds great 
Except when I squawk it… (30mins)
Day 2 voice + flute
Played tunes 1 through 13 from Abracadabra sax book (yeah, on flute), in notes G, A, B, C, and F. Woohoo Pretty much could sightread them. Tried using the metronome and ramping up tempo to 160bpm. Useful. WOrked on tone consistency and breathing in the right places. Neither feel wonderful yet.
Voice: Just practised “ahhh” at various pitches, F#2, A2, C3, D3, E3. Aiming at consistency and being able to “strike” the note accurately. Was kind of getting it. (10mins)
Flute: D major, low reg. Focus on tone and fiddling between low combinations of D, E, F#, getting toneholes closed together. Arpeggios sounded OK. (40mins?!)
Vocal training
As an experiment I’m going to see if I can train my voice to hit notes in a scale. I’m going to do this by sounding notes (”singing” ) into my chromatic tuner for 10minutes every day for 21 days.
Today has been day 1, wherein I’ve ascertained my vocal range is F#2 to C4 (ta da). I’m not sure if the C4 my tuner reports is Middle C or not. If it is I think that makes me a “bass” according to this definition of vocal range.
After a bit of practice it didn’t seem to hard to keep the note within about 10cents, so this project feels at least do-able…
I’d love to see an FFT (spectrum analysis) of my own voice, and how it changes up the register.