Relaxation is key to good playing. However, I struggle with it. When I have to play a -2 or -3 I tense up, anticipating trouble. When I am working on a fast song, I struggle with the deep relaxed mouth position and blow/draw harder than I intend.
If you ever struggled like that, what do you do to relax? Maybe there are no tips or tricks that are easy to share, but I thought I’d ask.
I use several techniques. One is to take a break as soon as I notice tension creeping into my playing.
Then, during the break, I do some slow, deep breathing techniques that I learned for meditation.
And then, when I resume playing whatever it was that I was playing, I slow down my tempo quite a bit.
These techniques might not work for you, but it certainly would not be wrong to at least give them a test run to see if they might possibly help you.
@Carlos1 It is certainly worth trying. Thank you for sharing!
I agree, the more relaxed I am, the better I play. I struggle with the high end as well as the low end. I have good days and bad days and often it’s not clear to me why that is. Ive mentioned before that I play in public and that has certainly helped with my nerves because Ive gotten used to other noises and distractions while playing. But that’s a long-term strategy and doesn’t necessarily help in the moment. I don’t have a good answer for your question, I think we have different personalities, temperaments and proclivities, so different strategies to relax. I’ve been retired from work for three years, and if I relax any more, Ill fall over. Sometimes if I’m not playing well, I just stop and go for a walk. One thing for sure, the more you worry about it, the less relaxed you will be.
It’s a natural evolutionary trait for us to compare ourselves with others, it drives us to improve. The problem now, with the advent of internet and YouTube is that we’re not just comparing ourselves with the other people in our village, we’re comparing ourselves with every person on the planet. No wonder we feel inadequate!
@PapaCurly, I’m sure I’ll have problems with the high end when the Beginner to Boss course gets to songs on the high end. 
You are brave for playing in public. I’ve read some of your posts about it. It takes a certain degree of chutzpah to do that. I don’t know if I ever will get there.
I like certainty. I wish I knew to do x, y, and z and after so much time I’ll get it. But nobody can guarantee that. I just have to keep doing my best and hoping. I’d get less frustrated if I had that certainty. That’s why I do end up comparing myself to others. If everyone else gets in a couple weeks, I should too, and that I don’t is a sign I never will. Which is nonsense, of course. I don’t know how long it took everyone else, nor how long they practiced for each day, etc.
Learning the harmonica is an adventure for me and, despite the frustration, I’m enjoying it!
I’ll try Carlos’ suggestions and try to stop the comparisons and hopefully make progress with my frustration and my playing.
Thank you for the encouragement!
Yeah, it isn’t a race, it isn’t a competition. Playing harmonica is a joy for me, and a frustration, it isn’t my métier.
The only thing that came quickly to me was isolating single notes, I don’t know why, maybe just the size and shape of my mouth. Everything else has been a challenge. Initially, breathing was my biggest problem, and that may be the source of your relaxation concerns. I haven’t undertaken the BTB, so I won’t try to instruct you, but I assume that breathing is well covered in the course. Maybe that’s something to work on.
I have the same problem but it is abating. I was practicing a quick bend required and it seems the easier I play it the better t gets. I pick a song that has the notes and rhythm that give me the most trouble and have found this to be the best solution. I hated the -8 and learned a couple of tunes that have them and it did help. The two is to be played lightly and how about trying to make the size inside your mouth as large as comfortably possible. It seems each end of the harp is like this.