Compared with the standard clarinet, the Lyons C Clarinet is cheaper to buy, more resistant to damage and has negligible repair and maintenance costs. Progress is faster for beginners and it is musically compatible with many more instruments. The basic fingering is the same as the standard B-flat clarinet. If the beginner wants to take up the standard clarinet at a later stage, transition is immediate. The Lyons C Clarinet is not then redundant. It has its own special use.

100 years ago, the clarinet was played by military bandsmen and orchestral musicians. Amateur or school music-making on the clarinet was negligible. For every 100 adults there may have been one child playing the clarinet. The situation now is the opposite. 1 adult, 100 children. Yet the basic design has stayed the same. Madness! For the first time a clarinet has been produced that actually suits most of those who play it - in design, and price!

Many of you will be wondering what the 'C' means in Lyons C Clarinet. Well, the 'C' refers to the musical key of C. Clarinets have been made in a number of different keys for historical and musical reasons. Most clarinets now are made in the key of B-flat. Other common instruments in B-flat are the trumpet and tenor sax; common instruments in key of C are the piano, violin, guitar, flute, recorder and oboe - in other words, the Lyons C Clarinet (or any C clarinet) is key-compatible with piano, guitar, violin etc.