Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a professional pianist and have been practicing the craft my whole life. I picked up the uke a couple of months ago because I wanted to learn an instrument which was portable and could play both chords and melody. I tried the guitar but found the learning curve with 6 strings too much. The uke is a perfect alternative for me. I looked through several method/beginning books which got me started but most were so simplistic they put me off. The beauty of this book is that he starts you off with interesting chords, scales and riffs. Having learned a great many chords already, I am ready for the challenges presented here. Kudos to the author for not producing just another "basic" book. I'm going to leave my innate desire to move ahead and just do the daily work of mastering each lesson. Pedantic note to non-musicians: learning any instrument means putting in the time. Go SLOWLY! If you can't play an exercise SLOWLY you can't hope to ever play it smoothly at a faster tempo. Slow study builds the muscle memory. Period. Learning almost anything--think of learning a foreign language--is all about repetition: endless repetition. There is nothing natural to your fingers and hands in playing the uke (or the piano). Your body needs time to adjust to awkward new demands. End of lecture. Enjoy your uke! You'll enjoy it even more if you buy and use this book. Thanks, Jake!