The mysterious mi between black and white keys

I gave a lecture on music of the Arab world yesterday, during which I pointed up one of the most important its musical characteristics to my students — the neutral third, i.e., the musical interval between a minor third and a major third. It's roughly a quarter tone flat from 12 equal temperament major thirds.

As the above explanation sounds like technobabble, for the benefit of those students who have no knowledge of Western music theory, I usually describe the neutral third as

the interval, or simply distance, between do and the mysterious tone which is located between the black mi and the white mi.

I also prepare on the PowerPoint slide a wee diagram of the piano keyboard and three sound clips so that students can 'see' and 'hear' clearly what I refer to.



This clip plays do-re-mi-fa-sol with mi on the white key.


This clip plays do-re-mi-fa-sol with mi on the black key.


This clip plays do-re-mi-fa-sol with mi, something between black and white keys that can't be produced on the Western piano.


The interval between do on the white key and this mysterious mi is the so-called neutral third. In music of the Arab world, one can also hear another similar tone between the black si and the white si, and thus the scale below.



This clip plays do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do with the mysterious mi and si.


So, dear readers, do you recognise the sound characteristic of the neutral third?