Ethnic musical instruments of Yi ethnic group mainly include flute, Sanhu, Sanxian, Yueqin, Kouxian, and leaf, etc.

Flutes include horizontal and vertical flutes, and horizontal flutes can be divided into big, medium, and small flutes. Big flute sounds low and deep while medium and small flutes sound lively.

Sanhu is similar with Erhu of Han ethnic group but has three ear handles and three strings with pitch chord of 151. When playing, the usage of child string or parent string must use the middle string at the same time. Its sound has acoustic effects of several Erhu together.

Sanxian is divided into big, medium, and small with pitch chord of 151. Xiaosanxian (small) sounds clear and melodious with changeable melody; Zhongsanxian (medium) is alto, it plays together with Xiaosanxian and can make up for its lack of vigorousness; Dasanxian is the most featured as the iron items for strings are equipped with several loose metal buttons that make sound when playing, adding rhythm and joy of the music.

Yueqin is a popular solo instrument among women. When playing, we can not only set pitch by frets, but also make sliding notes with pressure changes to better express inner feelings.

Kouxian, called Maxi in Yi language and Xiangmie in Chinese, is a small musical instrument that Yi women like. All young Sani women know how to play it. Kouxian is made of bamboo piece. It is about 5 cun long and 1 cun wide. The bamboo piece is hollowed out with the center reed engraved, and a small hole is made on the other end of the bamboo and threaded. When playing, squeeze the bamboo with left hand, close the reed to lips, and pull the thread at the end of the bamboo with right hand so that the reed will make various sounds; and changes in mouth shape and breaths help to produce various beautiful melodies. The tone of Kouxian is soft and beautiful like singing, and Sani girls often play it to express their love.

Leaf can also be an instrument for Sani people, and a leaf that is picked conveniently can also make beautiful tunes.