When playing, place the drum face upright, with the thumb, index finger, and middle finger of the left hand stretched into the drum frame, the ring finger and the little finger to support the drum, and each finger of the right hand hits the drum face to make a sound. The sound is crisp and beautiful. The playing skills are rich. In the past, there were "Ten Drumming Techniques" and "Five Drumming Techniques". Commonly used are sitting, playing, pad, wheel, rubbing, knocking, splitting, and tossing. There is a folk slogan that says: "Hold the moon in your arms and don't let it go sideways. Don't shrug your shoulders. Shake the drum, wrist and arm, don't move.

In singing, only the sitting method is used, and every beat is sounded. The turbulent (shaking) method is often used in the supporting part of the tune, and the techniques of playing, padding, rolling, rubbing, and knocking are used in the prelude and interlude parts of the fork and music. And use the thumb and index finger of the left hand to hit the back of the drum skin. In particular, the sound produced by the combination of tapping the drum surface and shaking the drum body is more distinctive.
The drum frame of the octagonal drum is made of wood and covered with python skin. There is a hole in the wooden frame on each of the seven sides of the drum, and two small cymbal-shaped copper pieces are installed between each hole, and two tassels are installed on the wooden frame on the other side. When playing, the left hand holds the drum, the drum surface is erected, and the right hand is played with fingers and fingers; sometimes the back of the drum is also played with the index finger of the left hand. This kind of drum is the main accompaniment instrument for the single-stringed brand music of Northern Quyi Music.

The size of the octagonal drum varies. The common ones are 16.5 cm to 19 cm long on the front of the drum, and 4.8 cm to 5.5 cm in height on the drum frame. One side is covered with python skin, donkey skin or horse skin, preferably small scale python skin. The surrounding edges are also inlaid with bone fragments as decoration. In the middle of the seven-sided frame of the drum, there are through holes in the shape of begonia petals, and a pair of small copper cymbals are pierced with copper nails in the middle. On the other side of the frame is a small copper ring, tied with a goose-yellow or big red silk rope knot, and hanging down two bundles of silk made of goose-yellow or big red long spikes for decoration, indicating that the grain has two ears, symbolizing a good harvest. The appearance is small and exquisite, and the production is fine. In addition to being played as a musical instrument, it also has a high artistic appreciation value. Since the end of Qianlong's reign, the octagonal drum has been popular among the children of Manchu banners. It has organized box office and composed lyrics and sung for self-entertainment.