There are many kinds of Yi folk songs, which can be roughly divided into narrative songs, folk songs, love songs, dance music and children's songs.
Narrative songs are mostly Yi folk songs, which can be used not only for singing creation and national history, but also for sacrificial activities such as Dragon Boat Festival and mountain sacrifice. Generally speaking, this kind of folk songs are very narrative, so the structure is generally short, the range is not wide and the melody changes little.
Most folk songs have the characteristics of free rhythm, wide range and fluctuating melody, and some structures are quite complicated. Among them, the most representative is the "four-cavity" of Honghe Yi people (namely seaweed cavity, salad cavity, Wushan cavity and four-cavity), which belongs to four kinds of divertimento folk songs that grew up in the structure. This kind of folk songs with complex structure and long length are rare in China folk songs. In addition, the singing forms of Yi folk songs are varied, including solo, duet, duet and chorus, or a combination of several singing forms in the same folk song.
In Yi folk songs, there are many expressions of love, while some folk songs are dedicated to the specific occasion of men and women socializing. For example, the Yi people in Honghe Prefecture have a traditional custom called "eating fire grass smoke", which is a special social activity. On this occasion, young men and women can answer and sing in pairs. Usually mainly duets; The duet ends, followed by a chorus or collective response. The folk songs used in this occasion are all sung softly in a very small voice, and the melody is euphemistic and beautiful. Most of the lyrics are improvised, and there are also complete sets of traditional lyrics, most of which are simple, natural and vivid.
Folk song and dance activities are an important part of Yi people's traditional cultural life, which are usually called "playing songs", "staying" and "jumping music". Because of the different accompaniment instruments, they are also called "jumping lusheng" or "three-step string" and "miscellaneous string". Most of these songs and dances are in the form of songs and dances. Some Yi folk song and dance activities often change all kinds of dances in a certain order, which will last for a long time, that is, form a group dance arranged according to certain traditional programs. These dance music can often be sung separately from the dance. All the dance music has a bright rhythm and bright timbre.
Among the Yi folk songs, children's songs are extremely rich. In the past, when children were not qualified to go to school, these children's songs became textbooks for children to teach simple life and production knowledge. The content has a certain story, the language is lively and interesting, and the tune is lively and concise. Singing is often carried out in groups, holding hands and swinging from side to side, which is childish and complacent.