How do you play the harmonica?

To play the harmonica, the first steps are: play breathing through the harmonica, not blowing or sucking. Practice breathing with your diaphragm, not with your lungs. Do breathing exercises similar to meditation or aerobics. Concentrate on where you are breathing from. Inhale and exhale slowly. Breath control is key to playing the harmonica as it is to singing. Practice playing a note on the harmonica while holding it as long as possible. Then practice breathing in and out as fast as you can. Start on a diatonic harmonica with a simple tune such as Oh, Susannah. Play simple tunes in first position where the key of the song is the same as the key of the harmonica. Then play these songs in the middle range (middle octave), which gives you the full diatonic scale without requiring any bends.