The pro pianist in our band is also a music teacher (piano & guitar). She mentioned that she had been playing a uke with some friends and she wanted to get one. So, we both got a tenor with low g strings. I had tried to learn guitar but my old man fingers wouldn't cooperate. However, I found the uke to be very user-friendly. My wife did too so she got one. I now have 3 different sizes. One (Flea) has a plastic body and fret board. I like sitting outside playing some simple song like Scarborough Fair with arpeggios. Very relaxing.

The uke is truly a folk instrument, IMO. There are hundreds of songs with just 3 simple chords (some only have 1) so with it anyone who wants to play music can start strumming. The cost is very reasonable. You can get a good beginner uke new for around $50. My most expensive uke cost $250 and it's solid mahogany with excellent resonance. So, it's really not difficult to get started with the uke and there are hundreds of free youtubes and websites with free music. At the other end of the spectrum there's Jake Shimabakuro who is one of the top virtuosos in the uke world. He has a bunch of youtubes that are incredible to watch.

Cornet Curmudgeon