Mi

What it means

Mi is the third syllable of solmization. With movable do it designates the third degree of the major scale, that is, the note lying a major third above the tonic that determines the mode (major or minor). With fixed do it is an absolute note name and corresponds to English E.

Musical use

The syllable marks one of the two semitone positions of the major scale: between mi and fa there always lies a semitone step. In the medieval system this was the actual information the syllables were meant to give — they say where the semitone lies, independent of absolute pitch. From this also comes the old rule according to which “mi against fa” gives the undesired tritone; the practice of musica ficta served, among other things, to avoid this constellation.

Melodically, mi does not fall like a leading tone but forms, together with do and sol, the framework of the tonic triad. As the third, mi is at the same time the note that demands particular attention in intonation: in equal temperament it lies noticeably higher than the pure major third, and in free ensemble playing it is taken lower, so that the major chord becomes calm.

In minor, an altered syllable takes this place, designating the minor third — handled differently depending on the system.

In the hexachord system, below mi lay the whole tone, above it the semitone to fa. In the relative system, mi is the third degree of the major scale; whether it is major or minor distinguishes major from minor. In the fixed system, mi designates the note E. The mnemonic rule mi contra fa warned in the Middle Ages against the tritone between mi and fa of different hexachords.

Performance practice

Sing the step mi–fa deliberately as a semitone. Take mi as the third of a major chord rather low; that is the most effective single adjustment to intonation. And impress do–mi–sol on yourself as a framework — from these three notes the other degrees can be found securely.