Because of its many branches and wide distribution, the Yi people have a rich variety of folk songs, and there is no uniform classification standard. If the language used for the lyrics is taken as the standard, all Yi folk songs can be divided into two categories: those sung in Yi and those sung in Chinese. Folk songs in Yi generally have five syllables per line. Chinese folk songs are mostly in a seven-syllable, four-syllable word pattern. The Yi folk songs cover a wide range of life situations. If divided by content, the Yi folk songs include narrative songs, labor songs, ceremonial songs, love songs, love songs and children's songs. Each branch of the Yi ethnic group has its own unique style of songs and dances, such as playing songs, jumping strings, three-step strings, etc., which make the music very rich.
Narrative songs are sung at festivals, weddings, banquets and funerals. Their contents include narrative epics, heroic stories, romantic love, customs and traditions. Famous works include "Asima" of the Sani people, "Meiguo" of the Slang people, and "First Chicken" of the A Thin people. The lyrics of the narrative songs vary in length, from hundreds of lines to more than a thousand lines, but the tunes often have only one phrase, with a chanting nature and a regular and stable rhythm.
The labor songs include the Ox Mountain Song, the Song of Planting, and the Song of Pushing the Mill. The cow song is sung by farmers when plowing the fields, with strong improvisation and distinctive sense of rhythm. Ceremony songs can be divided into wedding songs, funeral songs, festival ceremony songs, religious ceremony songs and so on.
Bitter songs are songs about the grievances of slaves, orphans, women, bachelors and other groups. Due to the unbalanced development of the Yi society, the barbaric and cruel slavery system still existed in some areas until the middle of the 1950s. These songs are deep in feeling, sad in tone and tearful.
Love songs are the most abundant among the Yi folk songs, and there are two kinds of songs: short songs and long songs. The short songs are composed of upper and lower lines, with soft and lyrical tunes, and are mostly sung in pairs or solo. Long songs usually have a longer length, and even constitute large vocal suites. For example, the "Four Great Cavities" of the Yi Nisu people in Shiping, Tonghai and Jianshui in Yunnan Province consists of "Four Cavities", "Five Mountain Cavities", "Mountain Yo Cavity" and "Sea Vegetable Cavity". There are several parts within each cavity, with a complete layout and clear hierarchy. It combines solo singing, antiphonal singing, and a leader with a crowd, sometimes with deep emotion and euphemism, sometimes with passion and exuberance. Each cavity is relatively independent of each other in terms of style and continuous in terms of emotional content. The "Four Cavities" is a precious musical cultural heritage of the Yi people.
Songs and dances are one of the most cheerful and lively types of Yi folk songs, because they are often group dances, with songs, music and dances accompanying each other, so the songs and dances are generally rhythmic, strong and weak, and have a strong sense of rhythm. Shiping, Jianshui Yi "jumping string" in the string tune, more than 68 beats, the style of cheerful and enthusiastic, light and lively dance, characterized by strong, rich charm.