# Understanding the textural layers of music According to Dr. Allan Moore, there are four main textural layers: beat, bass, melody, and filler.[^1] Dr. Megan Mavengood includes the novelty layer, which can be thought of as a kind of [[All about ear candy|Ear candy]] that only happens once or twice. Different textural layers serve different purposes, so you can create new sounds that do the job.[^1] For instance, use a noise burst instead of a cymbal, or foley/ambient noise instead of a noise burst. [^1]: [Write Better Section Transitions - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esd9AaKa_us&pp=ygUOMTJ0b25lIHRleHR1cmU%3D)