Make a Nylon Guitar Sound Like a Ukulele

Quick methods (pick one)

1. Top-4-strings + Capo 5 ( safest & easiest )
   Put a capo on the 5th fret, and play using only the top 4 strings (D, G, B, high E). Those four open notes become G3 C4 E4 A4 — the same note set as a ukulele but with a low-G octave (still authentic uke feel). Use ukulele chord shapes on those 4 strings (examples below).
2. Capo + higher fret / single-string focus
   Capo higher (7th or 9th) and avoid bass strings. This brightens the sound but may be thinner — good for leads or plucked parts.
3. Pitch-shift / Octaver (recording)
   Record the guitar normally, then in your DAW shift the track up one octave (or use an octaver pedal). This achieves the soprano ukulele pitch (G4 C4 E4 A4) safely without retuning strings.

Mapping ukulele chords to guitar (capo 5, use top 4 strings)

Treat guitar strings D (4), G (3), B (2), E (1) (from low→high among the top four) as uke strings G, C, E, A. Play only those four strings.

Example: to play a ukulele C (0-0-0-3), place the 3rd fret on the high E string only while leaving the other three top strings open — exactly as the table shows. With capo 5 this matches the ukulele pitch relationship.

Right-hand technique & strumming

• Light, rounded attack: use fingertips or soft felt/thumb to reduce the guitar's low-frequency attack — nylon with fingernails hurts the uke vibe.
• Chunk & boom: uke strum = quick downstroke on 1 (thumb) + muted upstroke with index for the 'chuck' (percussive). Practice mute with palm lightly on the bridge side.
• Use only top 4 strings: mute the lowest two strings with your thumb or palm so the bass notes don't ring.
• Reentrant feel: if you want the high G (reentrant) uke sound, try an octave-up effect in DAW or pitch pedal — otherwise low-G (capo5) still works for many styles.

Recording & mic / pickup tips

• Mic choice: small diaphragm condenser (or a good large diaphragm condenser) ~30–45 cm from the 12th fret, angled slightly toward the soundhole for balanced brightness.
• Distance & room: closer mic (30–60 cm) gives intimacy like a uke; reduce body boom by angling off-axis.
• Pickup blend: if using onboard piezo, blend in a bit of mic to add natural body.
• String dampening: add a tiny soft mute (cloth) near the bridge if the sound is too resonant; helps mimic ukulele's shorter sustain.

EQ, effects & mixing — make it sit like a ukulele

1. High-pass filter: roll off below ~120 Hz (or 150 Hz) to remove guitar body bass.
2. Body cut: gentle cut around 200–300 Hz to remove boxiness.
3. Presence boost: slight boost at 2–6 kHz for pick/attack and uke sparkle.
4. Stereo width: duplicate track, lightly chorus one copy and pan slightly left/right for a wider uke-like shimmer.
5. Compression: gentle ratio 2:1, fast attack, release 70–150 ms to control dynamics without squashing the transient.
6. Reverb: small room or plate with short decay (0.8–1.5s) to simulate uke intimacy.
7. Pitch shift (optional): to get true soprano/reentrant G4, shift up an octave in DAW or use an octave-up pedal on DI signal. Use subtly to keep natural timbre.

Alternative: retune-only approach (use with caution)

You can retune the top four guitar strings to the ukulele pitches (G4 C4 E4 A4), but this requires extreme tuning increases on G/B/E and risks string tension and breakage. If you want real ukulele pitch without pedals, consider using a 4-string nylon instrument (travel/ukulele) or retune only in a controlled environment and use lighter gauge strings.

Quick checklist before performing / recording

• Capo at 5th fret (for top-4 method)
• Practice ukulele strum patterns: D DU UDU (down/up pattern)
• Mute low strings with thumb or palm
• Record dry + DI (if pickup) so you can add pitch or chorus later
• Apply HPF ~120 Hz, presence boost 2–6 kHz, short reverb