Mike Dickison taught himself to play the ukulele in 2005 and started a ukulele group in Durham, North Carolina, where he was studying for his PhD at a time when the ukulele renaissance was sweeping America. Returning to New Zealand, he discovered that kids here were learning from books written by Australians and Americans, and resolved to set that right. Mike has been a teacher and writer for 15 years and maintains an internationally popular ukulele page on the internet (www.keteukulele.co.nz). He works as an information designer in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Contents include: The parts of a ukulele -- Choosing a ukulele -- How to hold your ukelele -- Strings and restringing -- Left-handed ukulele -- Tuning -- Accessories -- Strumming -- Fancy strums -- Tricky D, and Rotten Old E -- The chords you need -- The bottom fingerboard -- The parts of a chord -- Chord progressions -- Transposing -- Percussive effects -- Other instruments -- Playing in groups -- Assembling music books -- Writing out chords -- Memorizing a piece, and tips for practicing -- Performance tips -- Recording yourself - Traditional Kiwi songs -- Old ukulele-group favourites -- Contemporary Kiwi songs.