The melodies have the same names as those of the ancient northern and southern songs (ch'u), and the way they are played is believed to preserve many of the features of music from the T'ang (618-907) and Sung dynasties.
像許多傳統戲曲一樣，南管也面臨知音日稀的式微命運。在台灣，年輕一代的孩子，大多除了略知平劇、歌仔戲、布袋戲之外，已經幾乎不知南管為何物。而南管演奏，也多只由世家傳下，存在於因地緣關係組成的業餘社團，兼具娛樂與社交的功能，頗具中國古代結社的餘風。