I play some fairly heavy-duty classic guitar pieces, so I don't think anyone can accuse me of not being a good guitarist just because I sometimes use a capo when accompanying songs. And I use it whenever I find it convenient to do so.

In fact, I sometimes use the capo to play in keys that are perfectly easy to play in.

Case in point:   I sing "Bonnie Dundee" in the key of C. When I first started working out an accompaniment for it, I wanted to get certain effects on the guitar, such as playing a bit of the melody line as an intro and between verses. Also, I wanted to work in a fifth-interval drone to give it a sort of bagpipe effect. I could do this using the first position C chords, but it would be a real finger-buster. I could get the effects I wanted fairly easily in the key of A. But if I sang it in A, it would be uncomfortably low for my voice and it would sound too growly. So I put the capo on the third fret, play as if I'm in the key of A, and voila! I'm in the key of C and I can get the arrangement I want.

I use the capo a lot for songs in minor keys because there are not many minor keys you can play in without having to use bar chords all the way. May as well use the capo and free your fingers to do other things to enhance the accompaniment.

Don Firth