Small hands, short arms, or smaller bodies can make it difficult for many people to play the guitar.
Children, teenagers, petite women, short-stature men may find it difficult to hold full-size guitar chords.
Please note that we are not saying that short people will not play the guitar – they can think, of course, play, but they may not be as comfortable as others.
A person with a small hand is not unable to play the guitar. One of the biggest problems for a small hand when playing guitar is their discomfort when trying to hit the string correctly.
Players with small hands must make adjustments. They need to bend their shoulders more, stretch their arms more, and extend their hands and fingers as much as possible.
Although small hands can also get used to holding larger instruments, comfort is the key to playing guitar, especially for beginners in children and adults.
A guitar with a thin, compact, or lightweight body is the solution to this problem. Below we will recommend a guitar for small hand guitar players.
Top 3 Acoustic Guitar for Small Hands
1. Yamaha APX600 BL Thin Body Acoustic-Electric Guitar
The Yamaha APX600 is a highly recommended beginner’s instrument because it is comfortable to play with.
The onboard System 65 pickup/preamplifier system with a built-in tuner is also easy to use.
More importantly, it has a profile that makes the upper part easier to reach and has a slim-line body style.
By giving the APX600 a slim body, Yamaha can provide a guitar that is easier to hold, especially for short-skilled players such as older children, teenagers, and short-sleeved adults.
You can more easily put your arms around the guitar while you play, reducing the pressure on your shoulders and arms.
The sound from the thinner body is not as loud as the full-size fearless sound, but its size is still impressive.
When you need more volume, plug it into the amplifier.
You can adjust the output through the preamplifier, which has volume and tone control.
Other specifications include spruce panels, wooden back and side panels, and Namu neck with rosewood wood fingerboards.
Pros:
- Comfortable and lightweight body
- With built-in pickup/preamplifier
- The onboard tuner is very accurate
- It’s great to play and sound
Cons:
- Lower volume without preamplifier
2. Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar
Taylor’s idea was to make a guitar for the kids and travel so small that Baby Taylor was born.
The Baby Taylor BT2 is a 3/4 size fearless model with a solid mahogany panel, so it is also known as Baby Mahogany.
The mahogany panel has a distinctly deep midrange, low pitch, and the more guitars you play, the more full it will be.
The side panels and arched back panels are made of layered Sapele wood, which makes the guitar attractive and durable.
The layered wood structure also makes BT2 more affordable, which is advantageous for beginners who want to start using high-quality acoustic guitars.
Due to its small body and reduced weight, Baby Taylor is not only the ideal instrument for children and travel musicians, but it is also very suitable for a limited range of adult guitarists.
Baby Mahogany BT2 is no problem for musicians who don’t need an amplifier at all.
Pros:
- The solid mahogany panel produces a rich, full tone.
- The smaller size makes the guitar lighter.
- Suitable for small hand players
Cons:
- No amplifier
- Tone adjustment sometimes has problems
3. Yamaha APXT2 3/4-Size Acoustic-Electric Guitar
The Yamaha APXT2 is a 3/4 size version of the APX500III, which means it is better for small hand guitarists.
This small acoustic guitar features the same slim body design.
The Yamaha APXT2 is equipped with a System 68 contact pickup and an active preamplifier with volume and tone control.
This is an ART-based pickup system (ART stands for Acoustic Resonance Sensor). The ART system is designed around the internal support of the guitar for optimal pickup placement. This keeps the sound of the guitar, resulting in natural, expressive, and dynamic electro-acoustic sound.
The APXT2 is also equipped with Yamaha’s proprietary tuner, which is very accurate and easy to use and is recommended.
The Yamaha APXT2 has a laminated spruce panel, a neck of the cypress or mahogany, a back and side panel of willow wood, a 21-piece rosewood fingerboard with a dot inlay, and a vintage-style covered tuning. And a mahogany bridge.
In terms of sound, the projection does not have a larger body like a guitar, but it is enough for practice and camping.
For larger volumes, use the pickup/preamplifier system.
Pros:
- Thin and compact body for a more comfortable workout
- Reasonable price
Cons:
- Preamplifier control is limited
The acoustic guitar buying guide for small-handed people
If your hands are small, it’s best to choose a guitar that you feel comfortable holding, playing, plucking, and strumming.
If the guitar takes extra effort to hold or string properly, you’ll soon tire or, worse, lose power. It makes you feel like you’re not cut out to be a musician.
What makes your guitar feel even better is an instrument that fits your hands, making it easier to practice good posture and hit notes on the right notes.
Here are a few tips for small-handed people to choose the right acoustic guitar
- Pick up a 3/4 travel acoustic guitar.
When choosing a folk guitar, select a model that is smaller than a full-size guitar. Check out travel guitars, concert and living room guitars, string guitars, and 3/4 size guitars.
- Smaller guitars are easier to hold, play, and press strings.
The guitar that works best for small hands should be the same as choosing a good pair of shoes. If you have 40 feet and wear a team of 44 shoes, you will feel awkward and cumbersome, though you can still walk in them.
For players with short bodies and arms, oversize guitars and even standard full-size guitars can give the impression of being huge.
Playing them can seriously worsen your condition, putting you at risk for back and shoulder pain and joint pain in the elbow and hand.
- Add some useful ergonomic features.
A slim neck outline and a narrow chord pillow width make it easier to play the guitar with small hands.
The shorter scale length, the shorter neck make it easier to press the notes closest to the head.
The cuts on the guitars also help make them easier to play. The cut body allows easy access to the top grade, especially if your fingers find it hard to reach.
- Don’t decide until you try.
Guitars come in different sizes, just like people, so you need to find the right size. If possible, go to an instrument store and play as many guitars as possible to see which one works best for you and is easiest to play.
- Work for your hands, build up your strength.
Even if you choose the perfect guitar, what if you still have trouble playing the song? Try these exercises to relieve tension in your hands.
- Stretch your fingers before you start
Place your thumb directly under the fingerboard. This will give you a better grip on the guitar and make it easier to put pressure on the strings.
- Use lighter strings that are easier to hold down.
- Choose songs with no strings attached.
These require using one finger, leaving only three fingers that can be moved on the fingerboard. And for harder chords, it’s best to wait until your fingers have more power.
- Use modulating clamps more often.
If you want to play a song with Gareth Barry Chords, then toning and toning is the perfect solution. This will solve the problem of taking up one finger to play a chord and letting all fingers play freely.
- Look for a light electric guitar with a hollow body
The electric guitar’s body is smaller, so you can more easily reach the arm around it to pluck strings and play.
The thing to consider here is weight, including the weight of the neck. Hollow guitars are a good option for small players because they are lighter than solid-body guitars.
You can also find 3/4 size, short scale electric guitars with hollow bodies that are lighter than traditional ones.
