The grounds used to regale in the songs and couplets sung in raag husseini and kohyari. The classical chords of these artistes used to see crowds sitting through the night rapt with attention as if mesmerised by the music. Known as chowkies also, the musical instruments used were ethnic and handmade such as dholaks and matkas were used for rhythm, the khartaal (a popular Sindhi musical instrument) was made of earthern pieces, yaktaaro chang or tumbi were also handmade and used in accompaniment to the sophisticated saarangi. One peculiar instrument was the nar-maada (male-female) which used to give out two types of sounds/tunes. The nar part used to give our mournful or sad notes whereas the maada used to give our sweet and romantic notes, both of which when played in harmony used to give a feeling of a maiden calling out to her lost lover.

Mushairas took place mostly in otaks (private gatherings) where poets and thinkers from Hindu and Muslim faiths used to converge and have a exchange of thoughts and poetry. The most common and entertaining exercise was that one was given a opening line or mukhada or misrah and told to portray the same poetically or lyrically which was gradually built upon by others sitting thus ensuring a high quality poem or lyrical form emerging through active and diverse participation. Another much practised form was when one singer started on a particular rhyme and rhythm (bahar, radeef, qafia) and the others had to respond in the same rhyme and rhythm. Generally only people of an exceptionally high standard of poetry were found in such places which were classified as class rather than mass gatherings.