Lydian mode

A diatonic scale with a raised fourth degree compared to the major scale — in C: C D E F♯ G A B C. The raised fourth gives the Lydian mode a floating, bright quality; it lacks the gravity of the subdominant. Adams uses Lydian extensively in Phrygian Gates, alternating it with Phrygian in the gate-switching architecture. The conflict between Lydian's upward tendency (the raised fourth pulling toward the fifth) and Phrygian's downward gravity (the lowered second pulling toward the tonic) is the harmonic drama of the whole piece.

Let the Lydian passages in Phrygian Gates float — avoid anchoring the raised fourth too heavily. The ear should register the brightness as slightly unstable, as if the harmony is hovering rather than resting. The arrival of a Phrygian gate should feel like a weight being placed on that hovering.