Gaohu has a crisp tone, rounded bass and bright treble. It is the main instrument for performing Cantonese music, Chaozhou music, Cantonese opera and Teochew opera. There are generally 6 seats in a national orchestra. In addition to playing the main tune, it is often used for solo performances. 

Gaohu's main playing skills are right-handed bowing and split bowing. Fast bowing is often used. When playing strong beats, push bow is often used. The left fingering method mainly includes various glissando and free pad fingering and flower in the melody. The traditional playing method of Cantonese music does not use the strings in the left hand, but uses the pressed strings and the open string tremolo.

When playing, generally use both knees to hold the piano barrel to help eliminate noise. If a bamboo sound cover is installed under the bridge, a thick woolen "control pad" is placed in the cover, and a soft wood block is installed about one-third of the way below the rear opening, and good sound quality can also be obtained. Gaohu is good at playing lyrical, lively and gorgeous tunes.