I have a bit different take on developing a new Bard.
First:
Remember that weapon/melee stats are not increased while kiting, so the best time to work on weapon/melee stats is as a young bard when decent armor at that level is cheap. Pre Level 20 think of yourself as a Fighter who sings. Do as much melee fighting will all weapon types as soon as possible and when level 17 immediately start dual wielding to work up Dual Wield stats. If you have chain or better armor, you won't need a shield at this level. Use your song damage and Bellows stun effect to offset armor limitations.
If you have to, grind through some Light Blue mobs if only to get weapons, offense, and defense stats up. (THESE status are much more difficult to work on at higher levels against tougher mobs.) Best soloing songs at this level are Hymn of Restoration, Johnthan's Wistling Warsong, and Brusco's Boastfull Bellow. If you are a new player and have no cash, grinding through light blues will also help increase mob trash for selling to vendors until you get the game figured out.
While kiting you can twist Dissonance and Bellow and find that at lower levels Bellow will often do as much damage as Dissonace, and Dissonance really needs an instrument to be efficient at low levels. Bellow is both a damage and a stun, so it is better while melee/weapon fighting. (BUT when grouped DON'T use Bellow on rooted mobs because your stun will often break your druid friend's root spell, and she will come to dislike you for that.)
Keep Selo's Accelerando handy for escaping if Mob starts to get the better of you. Run away and practice kiting while healing, and/or return to melee mode to finish off the mob.
Second:
At lower levels, with minimal gear, do not try kiting large groups until you know what you are doing. Stick to one at a time at first. And stay away from caster mobs and mobs that do damage at distance. Explore zones as much as possible using Selo's because your quests Will usually require a lot of running around. Any peeps you group with will have some expectations that their Bard knows their way around
Primary instruments at the early level is a Lute while kiting, and a Drum while exploring. Note that Restoration and Dissonace are both string songs. Wind instrument is available and useful at level 14. Brass instrument isn't really useful until level 18.
Third:
Begin practicing kiting level 10-20 but don't rely on it exclusively because you still have melee/offense/defense skills to work on. Try melee on carefully selected mobs first but have haste song running. Practice a lot with setting up hot buttons to access songs. And practice switching from Weapons to Instruments while on the run. Just in case you find your self running away from melee fight and have to initiate Selo's as well as switch from weapons to Drums for kiting. This can be a bit tricky.
Fourth:
Level 20 is when Cords of Dissonance really becomes effective as an AoE for kiting as long as you use the proper instrument. And you can still twist Dissonace and Bellows, which is pretty cool when it works. However, you will have a lot of song failures and "missed notes" and have to restart songs a lot pre-20.
By level 20 your song/instrument skills should be 95+. If not then you need to go sit in a corner some place with your dunce cap on and work on song/singing skills. You will notice a big difference when skills hit 100. At this point DoT kiting becomes much more efficient.
Learn how to run in circles for extended periods of time, experimenting with different views (F9 key). Learn how to switch equipment around while running fast, and while not running into things, and while avoiding other mobs. It's not really that easy. Western Bandlands is a great place for bards to solo to level 18+
Notes:
1. Pre 20 think as a fighter/melee. 20-40 you begin to transition from melee to caster/kiter, but keep working on those melee stats. You also get your first Mana regen song at 20 which makes you desirable for supporting casters. Keep working on those melee stats. When you hit 40, your melee skills will serve as a solid backup and you can even tank for short periods, but by now you are primarily a solo-kiter or a good group-buffer. So, keep working on those melee stats.
2: Make sure you take advantage of advancing skills at every level pre-20. Trust me. Bards can grind experience fast and furious, but increasing levels too fast and missing skill advancements early on become problems later on. Pre-20, good melee armor is your friend. Post-20 armor class becomes less important the stat bonuses (primarily Dex, Char, then Sta).
3: Bards offer no single advantage. Bards must use a combination of speed and flexibility. However, a good (and wise) Bard can adjust to fill in the gaps and weaknesses of any given party. Bards can wear plate armor and can tank for short periods, but usually don't have enough Hit Points to be effective tankers.
4: Bards are more effective outdoors than indoors. Out of doors Bards can be the most efficient killers, except for maybe Wizards. Bards greatest weakness is when fighting mobs who can root. (Remember Bards dont use mana, so they can keep dishing out damage and killing as long as they want (as long as they don't get cocky and get themselves killed).
5: Bards can dish it out, but they can't take it. Be careful and be smart. An experienced Bard can pull agro off the main tank with the right mix of songs, instruments, and stat building gear. Don't embarrass your tanks or your casters, help them, even if it means standing in the back playing heal, mana, buff, and haste songs.
