In order for an instrument to accompany the qin, its sound must be mellow and not overwhelm the qin. Thus, the "xiao" generally used for this purpose is one pitched in the key of F, known as "qin xiao", which is narrower than an ordinary "xiao". If one sings to qin songs (which is rare nowadays) then one should not sing in an operatic or folk style as is common in China, but rather in a very low pitched and deep way; and the range in which one should sing should not exceed one and a half octaves. The style of singing is similar to that used to recite Tang poetry. To enjoy qin songs, one must learn to become accustomed to the strange style some players may sing their songs to.