In terms of sound quality, many of these ¾ sized guitars stack up really well to their full-size counterparts. They’re also really light and compact which makes them really portable. The great thing about these guitars is that they usually come with a shorter neck length which will allow you to stretch across different frets easier. Popular models include the Little Martin, Ed Sheeran’s signature Martin, the Baby and Big Baby Taylor, and Fender’s Travel acoustic guitars.Īs the name implies, ¾ sized acoustic guitars are simply that - a guitar that is ¾ the size of regular sized acoustics.
There are a ton of ¾ or “travel” sized guitars currently on the market and they are perfect for people with smaller hands.
The use of a capo and a good understanding of how to transpose keys can help you minimize the number of barre chords used in a song. While it is important to know how to use your barre chords, these chords tend to put a lot of tension on your fretting hand, especially if you have smaller hands.
Feel free to check out our previous article on how to use a capo to get an idea of why you may need to use one.įor guitarists with smaller hands, a capo is an essential tool as it can help you avoid playing too many barre chords. Put simply, there are countless legitimate reasons for using a capo. There is an odd opinion amongst some guitarists that using a capo is equivalent to “cheating” and it’s a clear sign of a lack of skill. The hours you spend practicing will reveal different methods to work around obstacles and you may even end up with your own unique way of playing guitar.Įven if you’re unsure of what to practice initially, just forcing yourself to sit down and practice random things will eventually reveal the things you need to work on and the things you’ve already nailed down. This rule is often broken, especially if you like to fret notes with your thumb like John Mayer or Jimi Hendrix, but having smaller hands will mean that you’ll want to avoid doing this too much as it causes a lot of tension on your thumb and wrist.Īt the end of the day, any physical limitations you may encounter can be overcome if you spend a lot of time practicing. Generally having your thumb around the middle of the neck works well. Instead, you want to keep your thumb behind the neck as much as possible. As much as possible, you want to avoid putting your thumb over the neck, like you’re gripping a baseball bat. This tip will help you avoid injuring your thumb when playing guitar. This will ease the tension throughout your hand and arm and save you from fatigue. If you don’t have to stretch as far if you use your pinky finger, just go ahead and use that finger then. This may be a slightly complex chord voicing, but the same idea applies to any other chord or scale.