I honestly don’t know if it’s because of muscle memory or because I’ve been a singer for a decent chunk of my life (6 years in school choir) that it has become second nature to me, but I also think that warming up my diaphragm, then letting out a big sigh afterwards helps to release a lot of that tension in my face before playing. In addition to using our mouths to play single notes and chords, we’re breathing in and out of the instrument through the diaphragm. We don’t want the chest to expand, but rather the belly. So looking up breathing exercises can be helpful in order to release a lot of tension. Joe Filisko has a full guide to breathing on the harmonica. I’ll link it below.
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