[Nightblade]

To quote some of the other, more well known bards of the era :

It depends on what you want to do. If you're playing beat-down with mobs instead of kiting them around, it works for a while, but tapers off as mobs begin to hit a lot harder than gear is able to keep up with. Generally once you at Selos, BBB, and Chords, you can practice kiting non-caster greenies until you get the hang of it, then move on to ones that really matter.

Fact is, bard DPS is crap, so weapons don't really matter (I frequently fight with a lute in hand anyways, and swap out for drums when necessary). Key point is to learn how to swap out your instruments for maximum efficiency with your songs, at the right time. Horn for BBB, guitar for chords, drums for selos, etc.

Twisting is easy. Twisting and kiting around a bunch of gnolls is when it becomes interesting. If you don't enjoy that, at some point you'll get charm, and then you'll have a whole new slew of opportunities to explore.