Sounding Like Masashi Hamauzu (Video Game Composer)

Hi everyone

So I'm trying to write a piece in the style of Masashi Hamauzu, he has that unique sound in his songs from both FFX and FFXIII (I haven't listened to too much of his other stuff yet)

My music theory isn't very good however, and I'm having a hard time noticing techniques in his music that give him that sound. This dude on youtube has nailed it with his fan made pieces and I have been listening to this a lot trying to hear the things he does:

Can anyone here maybe help me out with this sound? Is there any type of chord you can hear often maybe, or a mode that sounds like this? It's very beautiful.

Thanks for your time

Apparently Hamauzu took early inspiration from Debussy and Ravel, so I would also include in my research these composers.

If Hamauzu is anything like Ravel then this Wikipedia-sourced passage may help:

Ravel's compositions rely upon modal melodies instead of using the major or minor scales for their predominant harmonic language. He preferred modes with major or minor flavors; for example, the Mixolydian instead of the major scale, and the Aeolian instead of the harmonic minor. As a result, there are virtually no leading tones in his output. Melodically, he tended to favor two modes: the Dorian and the Phrygian.

Hope that helps. :)

You can't succinctly explain how to imitate a composer. There are a lot of things that make any composer unique, you'll have to meticulously study his stuff if you really want to make a convincing style copy. I didn't think the link you gave did that good of a job; Hamauzu is better. I also don't hear the influence from Debussy and Ravel I see people attribute to him. I'd say he's much much more influenced by contemporary Japanese media music. (he is a composer in that field after all) Just because you see extended chords and modal elements, doesn't make the music impressionist, you silly JRPG fanboy weeaboo non-musician. There's nothing wrong with studying Debussy and Ravel though.

The thing that most stands out most to me are the relatively advanced harmonies.

You can't succinctly explain how to imitate a composer. There are a lot of things that make any composer unique, you'll have to meticulously study his stuff if you really want to make a convincing style copy. I didn't think the link you gave did that good of a job; Hamauzu is better. I also don't hear the influence from Debussy and Ravel I see people attribute to him. I'd say he's much much more influenced by contemporary Japanese media music. (he is a composer in that field after all) Just because you see extended chords and modal elements, doesn't make the music impressionist, you silly JRPG fanboy weeaboo non-musician. There's nothing wrong with studying Debussy and Ravel though.

The thing that most stands out most to me are the relatively advanced harmonies.

I agree that it's not really possible to summarize a composer within a few sentences; it's a good thing I didn't attempt it. It's also good that I didn't claim the music was impressionist, as that label is oftentimes too contentious to use honestly.

Edit:

Removed rebuttal because apparently it's a joke.

That was a joke. I thought the out-of-place words like "weeaboo" and "fanboy" made it clear enough, but I guess not.

...Sorry?

I've edited my post to reflect this new information. I still don't quite see how it was a joke given the context.

What is funny is how this is not the first time humor has been completely missed in our exchanges.

Actually, I should clarify further. Those words were not meant to be directed at you, but at those who I've seen call Hamauzu impressionistic; the people who talk about Hamauzu kind of are those things, usually. Especially the non-musician part.