The structure of qin music reflects the balance of yin and yang: the playing of guqin music is composed of overtones, scattered tones, and pressing tones. Overtones generally appear at the beginning or end of a qin piece, and sometimes appear as the main melody in qin pieces, such as Plum Blossom Sanong and Yangguan Sandie. , scatter and press tones cooperate with each other and run through the whole qin piece.

The general guqin music has a free rhythm and a slow-paced Sanban, which is called "Sanqi" by qinists. Its length is determined by the scale and performance needs of the whole song, forming part of the organic composition of the whole song.

After sufficient preparation, the main tones of the song are displayed. At this time, the rhythm has been incorporated into the routine, and the tune has been greatly enhanced, which is called "in tune" by the violinist. Some vivid and melodious theme tones appear one after another in this part, and after repetition, contrast, change, and development, the music is gradually pushed to a climax. The climax is often formed by increasing the tempo, expanding the range, and enhancing the timbre contrast. Some double tones that enhance the intensity of the tune are also often used in these places. This part often accounts for more than half of the whole piece, and is the main part of the qin piece.

After the climax, the mood gradually stabilized and entered the "slow entry" of the qin music. At this time, obvious rhythm contrasts or tonal changes are often used to introduce the music into a new realm. In some larger-scale qin pieces, materials with ending meaning are sometimes inserted, or the previous theme is partially reproduced, or the previous material is reproduced in a deformed form, which is called "recovery", which makes the music twists and turns and irresistible. fun.

After the above-mentioned series of development and changes, finally a light and slow phrase is played with overtones, and the whole piece ends on the tonic, resulting in the effect of curling aftertaste. The "end" of many qin pieces is constructed in this way.