Like Jerry, the first thing I remember making a noise with was a comb and paper but I also remember playing a "jews-harp" as a kid and giving my front teeth a few nasty cracks in my enthusiasm! The first real instrument I owned was a Woolworths guitar which had the most awful action imaginable and literally made my fingers bleed. It was painted black with a humingbird motif on the scratchplate and I broke my heart when the neck snapped off during a play-fight with one of my brothers. I had a friend who lived a couple of doors down the street that owned an accordian. I assume it was given to him by a relative because no one in his family could play it but he wore it, strapped to his front like a surgical appliance, where-ever we went! We would sit around and marvel at the Mother of pearl inlay,sparkly plastic finish and all those knobs and buttons but could never persuade him to take it off and let us try it. I think it was the only thing he had that was HIS and it didn't matter that he didn't know what to do with it, he had something we all admired and that was enough! A musical instrument was something of a rarity in our neighbourhood unless it was recently liberated and headed for the nearest pawn-shop! Happy days!