I don't have a capo, but if I keep struggling I'll get one and try that test, thanks.
I felt like I was getting it late last night and early this morning, then when I sat down for my 30 minutes of practice today, it was like starting over and I felt like I made no progress.
I feel like one finger a half a millimeter off ruins everything, and I don't know how guitar players do it, even with muscle memory. Do the calluses that form help with playing, as well as preventing soreness?
I'm about a month ahead of you and will tell you that it absolutely gets better and easier.
A month ago, I couldn't play an open A chord. I struggled with D as well. Today, I can nail them consistently and even play songs like Three Little Birds without missing a chord. A, D, and E are my go-to chords now and I'm fairly good at switching between them with the beat.
Yes, the calluses that form help a TON. 5 min of practice used to be as much as I can handle. Now, I can play for 30 min + easily.
I've recently progressed to the C and G. THOSE were frustrating. In fact, I posted in the G Chord message board a week ago that I can't even get close to playing it correctly. A week later and, not only am I playing it correctly, but I'm up to 40 C-to-G chord changes a minute and playing Hey Joe (C, G, A, D, and Emin chords) well enough that it's somewhat recognizable.
Keep at it. What seems impossible today will be second nature eventually.
EDITED: Last thing: Follow Justin's practice routine! I didn't want to do my 1-minute chord changes but I did them...and they work. Justin knows what he's doing.