When playing, the player can either stand the bamboo drum on the ground and hit the drum surface with a short wooden chisel in both hands, or hold the bamboo drum around his waist with his left hand, with the drum facing forward, and play with the right hand. Bamboo drums have no fixed pitch and have a high-pitched and crisp sound, which is often used in folk dance accompaniment. In the Wa "Bamboo Drum", young men and women play and dance, which is very distinctive. It is both an accompaniment instrument for dance and a prop for dancers.
When playing, sometimes hang the bamboo drum strap on the shoulder, the drum body is inclined to the front, or stand the drum upright on the ground, hold the drum edge with the left hand, and strike the drum surface alternately with the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger and right hand. . Even the elbows and feet are involved in the percussion when the performance is climax or when the mood is intense. Playing methods include forehand, muffled beat, finger beat (with one finger), palm beat and boxing (half fist), etc. The right hand is multi-hit and re-beat. When the performance is high or emotional, even the elbows and feet also participate in the percussion. .

When the Wa drummers play, in order to change the timbre and pitch of the drum, they also paste rice balls in the center of the drum surface, and use the size and thickness of the rice balls to change the performance. Bamboo drums have different pronunciations due to different sizes. The big drum has a majestic and rich sound, the middle drum is agitated and high-spirited, and the small drum is crisp and bright.
Bamboo drums are often combined with gongs and Wa cymbals to accompany folk dances such as the peacock dance of the Wa ethnic group. Bamboo drums are often used as colorful rhythm instruments in ethnic bands or Wa drama bands. In addition, the bamboo drum is also combined with dance and performed as a solo program, which is known as "Bamboo Drum".
Sometimes when playing, the drum rope is hung on the neck or the left shoulder, the drum is placed on the left hip, and each hand holds a chime to play. In the old days, the honor guard bands used for weddings, funerals and marriages generally consisted of eight to sixteen drums, arranged in two rows, and played during the march. Sometimes embroidered damask curtains are hung in front of the drum body as decoration. When the honor guard team marched slowly, the drums played in unison and rumbled, which was quite imposing. There are also cross-drum performances in the "walking party" (a comprehensive performance form combining various folk arts) of the Lantern Festival and the Yingshen Competition.
There is a cross-drum picture in the painting "Beijing Walking Meetings" by the Qing Dynasty. On the picture, eight strong men hang cross-drums on their shoulders, lined up in two columns, and playing while marching. Today, it is used in folk instrumental ensembles, folk dance accompaniment, festival celebrations and other folk entertainment and weddings, funerals and other occasions. It is a commonly used rhythm instrument.