Tunes of Yi folk songs include Fangyangdiao (“herd tune”), Handiao (“shouting tune”), Xushidiao (“narrative tune”), Xiuhuadiao (“embroidery tune”), Kuhoudiao (“yelling tune”), Gaimi, Lididiao (“plowing tune”), and Madiao ("scolding tune"), etc.

Fangyangdiao (“herd tune”) is the tone for shepherds, who often express their feelings with melodious folk songs when herding.

Handiao (“Shouting tune”) is the tune when Sani people sing loudly from a mountain to the other mountain when herding or doing farm work.

Xushidiao (“narrative tune”) is mainly used to sing folk narrative poems and complete sets of folk songs like Ashima, Gui Mountain Rainbow, and Wedding Song, etc.

Xiuhuadiao (“embroidery tune”) is the impromptu folk songs that women sing when embroidery. Usually a leading girl sings the first line first and the rest respond. Embroidering while singing, they give not only melody but also harmonious and concordant embroidery movements like dance.

Kuhoudiao is the folk song that tells the singer's inner emotional activities, mostly women’s impromptu songs. With its high tunes, a person singing on a high mountain can have the song spread far with the wind.

Lididiao (“plowing tune”) is the folk song sung by Sani peasants when working, or antiphonally sung by singers at wedding. Lididiao (“plowing tune”) has rich content including impromptu songs for things and long narrative songs, and the singers can sing from early evening to the next dawn.

Madiao ("scolding tune") is the tune for Sani boys and girls to resist arranged marriage.

In addition to these tunes, there are also Xidiao ("happy tune") and Beidiao ("sad tune") that express different emotions; Sanxiandiao, Yueqindiao, and Kouxiandiao applicable to different musical instruments; and Jishendiao (“sacrifice tune”), Nianjingdiao (“chanting tune”), and Zhaohundiao “soul calling tune”, etc. in religious rituals.

Most of the tune structure of Sani folk songs takes one or two lines as base tune for changes or repetition. Meanwhile, words like “sailuosai” and “ailuoai” are often used as the legends say that “sailuosai” and “ailuoai” are the places where ancient Sani people herded cattle. Only a few lyrics of Sani tunes are fixed; under most condition there are various lyrics for one tune, usually lyrics are impromptu according to different situations.