I've owned ukuleles (and later banjo-ukes) from the age of 11, but I am only an average strummer, and I am a lousy singer which made the strumming seem worse (I also play guitar badly). My first 'how-to-play' uke book was the _E-Z Ukulele Method_, first published in 1924. I found a 'new' reprint for sale in August 2006 and bought a copy (my son wanted to know what happened to A-D). About that same time, I discovered that people play melodies on the uke (Bob Brozman's video), so I've been trying to make music ever since.