u/DrumosisHD

I've been producing music in FL Studio for about a year and a few months now. I usually spend around 1-4+ hours a day making music. Some days I finish a song, other days I spend the whole session transcribing music that I enjoy.

My goal is to compose music similar to Nintendo and JRPG soundtracks (Koji Kondo, Mario, Chrono Trigger, etc.), while eventually becoming versatile enough to write in different styles.

Here's where I'm stuck.

I can finish songs, so finishing projects isn't my problem. The issue is that they often feel like collections of ideas instead of intentional compositions with a clear musical purpose. If I try writing something specific—like a snow village theme, town theme, or dungeon theme—I often get overwhelmed and don't know how to develop the idea naturally.

I've studied a fair amount of theory. I understand concepts like functional harmony, secondary dominants, modal interchange, and other intermediate to advanced topics on paper, but when I actually open FL Studio I rarely know when or why to use them.

For example:

• Secondary dominants feel forced when I try to use them.
• Modal interchange usually sounds unnatural when I attempt it.
• I understand the concepts intellectually, but I don't have the instinct to apply them musically.

It feels like there's a disconnect between knowing something and actually composing with it.

I also spend time analyzing and taking notes from existing music—not pages and pages of theory, but practical notes about things like how intros are built, how instruments interact, how sections develop, and why they work. The problem isn't taking notes; it's turning those observations into my own music.

Another thing I struggle with is worrying about accidentally copying other composers. I know learning from references is important, but sometimes I become so worried about "stealing" ideas that it actually makes it harder to write anything confidently.

As for ear training, I can usually recreate melodies reasonably well, but chords are much harder for me. I can hear basic triads, but more complex harmony is still difficult.

From my own perspective, my weakest areas are:

• Composition
• Arrangement
• Harmony
• Turning theory into practical writing decisions

I'm looking for either:

• A composition teacher or mentor familiar with JRPG/Nintendo-style music
• A structured course that focuses on composition, not just theory
• Someone who can critique my music and explain why something works or doesn't

P.S: PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME TO "GO LEARN PIANO."

I know that's common advice, but it's not what I'm looking for. I compose primarily in FL Studio using the piano roll, SoundFonts, and occasionally a MIDI keyboard. I want to become a better composer, not receive generic advice that doesn't address the problem I'm describing.

Has anyone been stuck at this stage before? If so, what finally helped bridge the gap between understanding theory and actually composing with confidence?