I think paddle length goes with kayak size. Kayak with higher and wider deck definately needs longer paddle.

While shorter paddle does need more cadence, the difference should not be so great. Especially if your padlle sounds to be rather long currently. I paddle with quite different cadences, sometimes for slow touring (5-6 km/h) I use rather fast cadence and low body rotation. For a bit faster touring (7-7,5 km/h) I use much lower cadence, longer stroke and with lots of body rotation. And sometimes - just for fun - I can drop the cadence to about half just by applying more power for one stroke.

So, maybe it's technique issue as well?

: Tried out my new paddle and as pretty as it is, I don't like it. It
: preforms well, probably my best paddle yet but I couldn't figure out what
: was different. Finally realized that it was shorter than the one I was
: using. It has less resistance (bite) and I found I was paddling with a
: faster cadence. That made my shoulder hurt.

: So I am thinking about trimming the ends square and adding a hardwood tip(s)
: which will add some length to it.

: I was really surprised at the difference too. I sized the paddle by standing
: and stretching the fingers over the tip. So it should be right. But I am
: guessing that since I have used one longer that I have just gotten used to
: that.