My goal is fairly limited - what I want to do is to pick tunes up the neck. (For strumming up there I decided that capoing works just fine.) But I want to be able to change the resonance and timbre and depth of sound by going up the neck when that's the effect I want.

I don't have a problem in picking a tune in most keys (an exception is E. For that one I capo.) but that's mostly in pretty basic open chords. I watch some good flashy pickers go up the neck at will and I'm green. When I take my time I can do it- the fingers pretty much know where the note is but I want muscle memory on my side so I'm going to make it a matter of practice.

As you can see, success, for me, consists of short steps.

I have a VERY basic question though: when you say "do scales" are you saying that one should be able to readily name each note? I do scales by ear in any key without problem but if I made myself learn each note by name I'd be back at the beginning post.