How to Not Pass Out Playing Harmonica

So you want to learn how to not pass out playing harmonica? It seems like the answer would be very easy, and the truth is… it is! So long as you practice properly and take the advice of expert harmonica player and educator Annie Raines.

Check out this harmonica lesson below for breathing tips and information on how to not pass out playing harmonica:

How to Not Pass Out Playing Harmonica

Playing the harmonica is all about breathing. When Annie says “draw” and “blow,” what she really means is “inhale” and “exhale.”

Here’s a simple chord exercise to help you learn how to not pass out playing harmonica: open your mouth wide enough to play holes 1-2-3-4. Your lips should be relaxed, not pursed, and the inside, moist part of your lips will be touching the cover plates. This is essential for getting a good seal with no tension. Your jaw should be relaxed also and not extended.

The harmonica is a small instrument, so you only need a small amount of air to play it, even at loud volumes. Now slowly exhale and inhale through the harmonica on holes 1-4, starting quietly and swelling and fading the volume of each breath.

More Harmonica Lessons

Dig this lesson on how to not pass out playing harmonica? Check out Annie Raines’ full course, Blues Harmonica Blueprint, which is the definitive learning system for blues harmonica. Over two years in the making, with hundreds of hours dedicated just to the visual notation guides and animations, the Blues Harmonica Blueprint and its interactive video format sets a new standard for harmonica instruction.

The course drills deeper and wider than any blues harmonica course ever published, but more importantly, its effectiveness as a teaching system is unprecedented — finally, you will clearly see, hear and understand the ins and outs of blues harmonica.