There seems to be a misco
nception among many people that capos are used primarily by people who don't play the guitar well. (barre chords,etc.)
While this may be the case for some people, it should be stressed that
capos are used for a VARIETY of reasons.
Voicing and resonance are primary factors in how some people make use
of capos. If you have two guitars strumming away on first position chords,
the mix can end up being much "muddier" than having one play in the first
position, while the other is played in a higher register. There are also
a lot of riffs that don't transpose particularly well, if a vocalist has to
shift keys to eflat or bflat, for example.
Capos can also be used for alternate tunings. Some are
even manufactured for a "drop D" effect which allows you to
play a drop D style without having to change the tuning of
the high and low e strings.
I've used kyser 12 string and 6 string capos for years, even though
I learned to play barre chords long before I ever bought a capo. Like
most things that relate to playing guitar, the tools are only as good as
the people playing them.............. and there are frequently several
ways to use the tools.............