You only have to hold the instrument at the point the song is "cast" for it to have its full effect. So you could sing a percussion song holding drums and, once it hits the target, switch to a lute and sing a stringed song, then a horn and a brass song. If you were fast enough, all three songs will stick at their instrument modified levels for their duration.
LDoN provides a slew of instruments that are mainhand. The advantage to which is that you can hold an instrument, sing and attack with an offhand weapon (or just hold some offhand stat item, but never two instruments*). Sometimes on raids I might sing AE resists with drum in mainhand and take idle whacks at the target with my offhand weapon. Even if you only own offhand instruments and can wield nothing else, sometimes its appropriate to use an instrument and forgo melee. Your drummed resists or debuff chants on a target may be worth a lot more than you poking at the mob with your pointy stick.
*The bard epic, the Singing Short Sword, counts as all instrument types and can be weilded offhand with an appropriate instrument in mainhand. Likewise for other 'instrument' weapons; gem inlaid sword, Troubadour's mace, et al.
Edited, Tue Feb 17 10:28:03 2004 by Jophiel
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Belkira wrote:
Wow. Regular ol' Joph fan club in here.