As early as around the 12th and 13th centuries, there appeared monographs on Tibetan national music, such as On Tibetan Music by Sakyamuni Bandazhi Gonggejianzan. The temple has preserved and used the ancient Tibetan graphic music score-Central Shift Music. Tibetan traditional music has distinctive features and various kinds, including folk music, religious music and court music. Folk music can be divided into five categories: folk songs, song and dance music, rap music, opera music and instrumental music. There are obvious differences in style and types of folk music in the three major dialect areas of Weizang, Kang and Amdo. Religious music includes chanting music, religious ritual music and dance Qiang mu, and temple instrumental music; The court music and dance Gaer only spread in Potala Palace in Lhasa and Tashilhunpo Temple in Shigatse. Folk music occupies a major position in traditional music. The folk songs of the central shift spectrum include folk songs (pastoral songs), labor songs, love songs, folk songs, ode to classics and so on.

For example, it is called "Lalu" in Weizang area, "Lulu" in Kang area and "Le" in Amdo area, and it is a song freely performed in Shan Ye. Folk songs have a wide range, free beat and rhythm, large ups and downs in melody, long and high-pitched, and full of plateau characteristics. The folk songs in Amdo area are also called Jiuqu locally. Pastoral songs are popular in pastoral areas, which are similar to folk songs. There are many kinds of tunes in folk songs and pastoral songs, most of which are in the form of upper and lower sentences, and they are commonly used in the five (or six) tones of feather, sign, Shang and Gong. Ganzi folk song "A Zhong" is a representative one.