There are different traditional ways of categorizing Miao folk songs in various regions, such as categorizing them according to the content of the subject matter, the length of the lyrics, or the nature of the tune, and so on. According to the occasion of singing, Miao folk songs can be divided into mountain songs, travel songs, wine songs, custom songs, ritual songs, children's songs and other categories.
Mountain songs are called "Fei Ge" in Qiandongnan, "Gao Cavity" in Xiangxi, and "Shun Lu Song", "Roaring Song", "Shouting Song" and "Shouting Song" in the western dialect area. The western dialect area is called "Shunlu Song", "Roaring Song", "Shouting Song" and so on. Mountain singing in the mountains and forests or fields, preferring falsetto, straight voice singing, melodious, sweet and clear tone, melodic fluctuations and undulations, the rhythm of soothing and free, like to use the cavity, slip tone Runcorn and other melodic method.
The Song of the Traveling Party is a song sung by young Miao men and women in the so-called "Traveling Party" customary activities of free love before marriage. According to the content, the song has a meeting song, youth song, escape song, divorce song, separate songs, single song points. These songs **** with constitute a vivid picture of the Miao marriage flavor. You Fang song is mostly a single phrase repeated composition of a single section structure, melody is gentle and low back, narrative and lyrical fusion, very beautiful and moving.
Wine songs are sung during festivals, red and white celebrations, and banquets when friends and relatives visit. According to the length of the song, there are short songs and long songs. Short songs are mostly improvised and sung to persuade guests to drink, and long songs are mostly national epics and folk stories. The long songs are mostly national epics and folk stories, among which the works about the opening of heaven and earth, the origin of mankind, and the migration of peoples are called "ancient songs". It is a precious material for studying the history and culture of the Miao people. The melody of the wine song is mostly a single section, and the tune is in the style of chanting and ballad singing.
The custom songs are divided into two kinds: the annual festival songs and life songs. In addition to the Hmong New Year, the Hmong also have Dragon Boat Festival, Flower Mountain Festival, Eat New Festival, Ching Ming Festival, Catch Autumn Festival and so on, and these festivals have their own customary songs.
The ritual songs are mostly sung by sorcerers or chiefs and chanted by the crowd. There are sacrifices to the gods to get rid of illnesses and disasters sung by the "sacrifice ghost song", the mourning period expired "open ban song", ritual activities "eat drum Tibetan" sung by the "sacrifice drum song", especially the "sacrifice drum song" is the most characteristic. Miao legend, ancient floods in the sky, drowning everything, but the two siblings hiding in the wooden drums were spared, so the brother and sister married, human reproduction. The descendants to kill the drum in the form of cattle sacrifice ancestors, praying for the prosperity of the cottage, wishing the wind and rain, a good harvest, it is "eat drum Tibetan festival". At that time to jump wood drum dance, copper drum dance and Lusheng dance, singing solemn "sacrifice drum song".
Children's songs include game songs and songs of loneliness. The rhythms are regular, the structure is short, and the song style is simple.