Saixiao is one of the commonly used musical instruments in the social and love life of young Miao men and women, and is mostly played by young men.

When playing, the tube body is placed vertically, the ring finger, middle finger, and index finger of the right hand press the first, second, and third holes, and the ring finger, middle finger, and index finger of the left hand press the fourth, fifth, and sixth holes. The mouth contains the tube head, the air flow enters from the airway and impinges the sound hole, and part of it is blocked into the tube by the slope-shaped air distribution valve, so that the air column in the tube vibrates, and the length of the air column is changed by pressing the hole to make different sounds.

With the flat blowing and super blowing methods, the sound range is b-f3. The flat blow sound is soft and elegant, and the super blow sound is clean and bright. Several notes above c3 are more difficult to play. Commonly used are portamento, playing and other performance techniques.

Saixiao is mostly used for solo performance, and the music played are all from the tones of folk songs, but there is no fixed tune, only the far key and the near key. The far tone is played for the lover in the distance, with a high attack, crisp and melodious tone; the near tone is played for the lover beside, with a low attack, soft and euphemistic tone. There are five-finger tone and six-finger tone. The former is to hold down the third hole, and use the other five fingers to open and close the sound hole to pronounce, and the sound range is wider; the latter uses all six fingers, and the sound range is only twelve degrees. Each Saixiao piece contains a certain lyric content, and has a unique and perfect artistic conception.