Blue Skies Guitar SchoolBlue Skies Guitar SchoolBy Cliff Ward
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Ely · Cambridge · Cambridgeshire

Welcome to The Blue Skies Guitar School.

Cliff Ward smiling with a classical guitar outdoors
photo by Ian Farrell

Friendly, patient lessons for children, teenagers and adults across Cambridgeshire — plus a growing library of free videos, exam walkthroughs and practice guides.

Book a trial lesson Explore exam grades
30
years teaching
1000's
of students
18
grade pages
4
exam boards

Already a student? Your lesson schedule, notes, practice log and resources live in your portal.

Student & parent login

More than a lesson

A resource that keeps working between lessons

Everything here is free to use, whether you learn with me or not. It's the material I wish every student had access to at home.

Exam pages for every grade

Rockschool, Trinity, ABRSM and MTB — Debut to Grade 8 — with video walkthroughs for the pieces and technical work.

Browse the grades

Free video library

Performances, piece walkthroughs and short technique tips, all in one place and free to watch.

Watch videos

Practice that works

Practical guides on how to practise, build a routine and get past a plateau — for students and parents.

Read the tips

Gear I actually recommend

Guitars, amps, tuners and accessories at every budget, with a note on why each one earns its place.

See the store

In their words

What students and parents say

I've had guitar lessons with Cliff for five years and it has been absolutely brilliant! I really enjoy it, Cliff is a great teacher and I'd truly recommend it to anyone who wants to give guitar a go.
Ben P
Cliff is a fantastic teacher. He is an incredibly patient teacher and always made the lessons fun whilst having a goal in mind.
R Peryer
Oli just said you're a "lovely guitar teacher and great fun". We think you are amazing at your job — very patient and very good at motivating the student and finding what makes them tick.
Oli B's family

Practice & tips

Start with these three

Short, practical reads that make a real difference to how quickly a student improves.

Everyone · 4 min

How to practise properly (and why repetition isn't enough)

Most students play through a piece a few times and call it practice. Here's what actually moves the needle.

Everyone · 3 min

Building a practice routine that actually sticks

Ten focused minutes on five days beats an hour on a Sunday. Here's how to build the habit.

Students · 3 min

How to use a metronome without hating it

The metronome is the fastest route to clean, confident playing. Most people just use it wrong.

Thinking about starting guitar?

Drop me a message and I'll come back to you with availability, prices and a plan for getting started. No pressure, no jargon.

Get in touch