There are three things you need to make great music: Intonation, Tone and Timing (ITT). When all three come together, you’ll make great music no matter how simple or difficult the song.

Intonation – Playing in tune of course is critical. An instrument that is in tune, along with the player using the proper techniques for playing in tune, goes a long way in making great guitar music.

Tone – There are a number of things that effect the tone of your guitar. If you’re using an electric guitar, the quality of the pickups and particularly the amp have a great effect on your tone. The combination of the tone settings of both guitar and amp (and your playing technique) determines the quality of the sound. It’s not necessary to run out and buy an expensive amp to make great music, simply find a tone setting that is suitable.

For acoustic players, the quality of the guitar is the main factor in producing tone. Typically, acoustic guitars that use solid wood sound better than those made of laminate. But that doesn’t mean a $100 can’t sound great—many of them do. It’s also important that your strings are fairly new—old strings can sound dead and lifeless and are hard to keep in tune.

Timing – By timing, I mean rhythm and tempo. The important thing is to keep the rhythm as steady and consistent as possible. A good, old-fashioned metronome is a great training tool. Many electronic guitar tuners today have one built it in. Take advantage of them. Start slowly and don’t become frustrated if you can’t get things up to speed as quickly as you would like. You may find that it will all come together the very next day.

When you get to the point of playing with others, especially in a band, keeping a steady rhythm is critical to making great music. All of the members of the band playing in time means that their music is tight, steady and in the right groove.

Beyond the three important core components of making great music—intonation, tone and timing—comes execution, style, the use of dynamics and the simple enjoyment of paying. That’s how great guitar music is made!

It takes intonation, tone and solid timing to make great guitar music no matter what the song or style of music.