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I use a capo a lot. Mainly to suit my voice but also to avoid too many barre chords. It also gives a different sound which is also nice sometimes.

But if your guitar is easier to play, as in easier to press the strings to the fret board, when the capo is on then maybe you should look at getting the action on your guitar checked out. Maybe it's ajust a bit to high. Your local music shop should be able to set it up for you.

I use a capo in alot of my playing,and it's not so I can use easier chords, it's to change the key. Trust me if a capo was cheating, than power chords are REALY CHEATING!!!!!

Hi astro5mile
To be playing for ten months and having problems with the D chord is not uncommon.Everybody has their own chord that they get stuck on so I wouldn't sweat over it too much.Learning to play the guitar is a time consuming love affair.The more you put into it ,the more you will get out of it.
The more time you put in, the faster you will get where you want to be,but remember that it has to be quality time.
2 years from now you will look back and be able to say(hopefully)that you learned with quality not quantity.
Hope that helps
KAP54

Ummm . . . seems to me Em played with capo on 2nd fret would be an F#m.

Because there is only one half-step between E and F, so a whole step (2 frets) above E is F#.
Likewise there is only one half-step between B and C, so a whole step (2 frets) above B is C#.

Astro5mile, use the capo as needed to move songs into your vocal comfort zone.  Your vocal range can be broadened with practice - your vocal chords and larynx will increase their strength and agility with use.  Better singing boils down to better breathing - don't hunch over you guitar and learn to draw a full breath (not a gut-buster, but rather a full and relaxed intake).  Be just as serious about your singing as you are about your playing . . . both take practice.

The capo simply raises the pitch of the notes - but does not change the character of the chords.  Major chords are still major, minors are still minor, etc.

You can also use chordie's transposing button to change a song's chord set into a key that is familiar to you.  For instance, if a song is in F and has F, Dm, Bb, and C chords you can transpose up 2-half steps to G and then the song would have G, Em, C, and D for the chords.  Transposing to a new key merely changes the scale you are playing in - it does not change the character of the chords.

Hope this helps - didn't mean to go on for so long . . . James

Here's how I did it (or am doing it really). Use a metronome, here a link to a free one on-line

http://www.metronomeonline.com/

Just start with 2 chords, say C&G, or C&D. Start slow, say 50 or 60 BPM just changing back and forth between those 2 chords. As you get it, raise your speed. Once you get switching between those 2 at 100 BPM or better, add a chord and go back to 50 BPM. As you keep adding chords, repeat the process staring slow each time. I would do this for hours every night just watching TV, if you find a particular progression that you are struggling with, you might want to scale back to those 2 chords and concentrate there until you get it down.

The key for me was the metronome. Using that allows you to track your progress and see improvement each night. Is 1/2 an hour enough? That's up to you - practice is the only way to improve. I probably play 3 or more hours every day. Practice, practice, practice is the only answer, nobody was born with Clapton skills - he would practice till his fingers bled.