By all means you should be fighting with weapons as a bard in a group until the early 30's or so, when most bards transition over to using instruments solely with their twisted songs. Honestly though, there's no hard limit on this or wrong way to do it. Do what works for you.
I'd highly advise trying to get a dragoon dirk, silvery war axe, or polished granite tomahawk as choices for your dual wield in the 20's. Banded armor is just fine until the Temple of Ro armor quests open up.
When you are fighting solo, monsters of course direct all their attacks on you which includes Bashes that knock you out of your songs quickly. Because of this, I'd highly advise grouping as much as you can towards your 30's where it becomes much less of a problem. Unlike the other hybrids, bards that constantly twist songs and are active in groups gain a quick positive reputation and are desired even with their 40% penalty.
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