do bards have to use instruments?
6715
Bards actually don't even need an instrument. They can cast via song, oration, dance, etc.
87311
Harp, Piano are percussion instruments first. Secondarily, they are one part of a family called 'chordophones' - instruments with a resonator body with strings being the sound source, which includes the viol family.
1103295
The feat can be taken by other classes though. In order to cast a spell as a ritual a feature must allow you to do so. Bards have Ritual Casting as part of their Spellcasting feature: You can cast any bard spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.
172752
Can you learn to play the violin without a teacher? Look, whether you have a teacher or not: in violin playing (and music making in general) we're ALL self taught. If you have weekly lessons and practice daily: most of the time YOU will be the one correcting yourself and not your teacher.
488892
Many instruments are C instruments. For example, piano, organ, oboe, violin, guitar, and trombone are all C instruments. A pianist who sees a written C will play a note that the violinist would agree is a C.
324994
Physically, drums are capable of playing a melody, and some drummers also use their kit as a melodic instrument. But due to the drums' overtones, it doesn't feel like listening to harmonic notes because they don't match the defined pitch that we expect to hear from a melodic instrument.
796817
It is worth doing for the skill quests, but you get far more out of those rewards if you do the quests when you're a higher level (i.e.: going from level 49 to 50 in a skill for free is far more valuable than going from level 5 to 6). Personally I really liked the bards college quests. Skills and loot are good.
681849
There are three ways to get the ability to cast spells as rituals. As a general class feature. Bards, clerics, druids, and wizards get ritual casting as part of their spellcasting class feature, and they can use it with any prepared spells (for prepared rituals) or from their spellbook (for ritual book casting).
1438804
No, the reason the oboe is not suited to marching band is that it is really a much more complicated instrument to play. ... Oboes typically don't project well in a marching sense because their bells are pointed straight to the ground, but unlike a clarinet they are double reed instruments and aren't as loud.
842924
Currently, the downtime rules allow you to gain proficiency in tools but not skills. In case it isn't clear, you don't have to pick skills from your class skill list when you gain new skills through the "Skilled" feat. You can pick any skill you want.
1060545
Once you can make that sound, simply use the keys to change the notes. Flute isn't hard to learn — like all the instruments, it just takes some practice. Many girls choose the flute, but boys can also play flute.
293430
Can Wizards learn spells from scrolls? ... You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation. For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50gp.
934271
Musical instruments... Again, those inmates who have earned certain privileges can have one musical instrument. The choice includes a guitar, harmonica, recorder or flute. Sheet music can also be kept.
729006
 Greek tragedy had only three actors and they wore masks.  Shakespearean tragedy never had such restrictions. ...  There is a complete absence of chorus in Shakespearean tragedy. There is no need of a chorus because every action takes place on the stage.
299814
['Acoustic instruments.', 'Simple chord progressions such as C-F-G or Am-G.', 'Simple time signatures such as 3/4 or 4/4.', '"Sharp" or natural keys such as C, D, E, G or A.', 'Simple scales such as pentatonic minor (blues), pentatonic major, major, melodic minor and mixolydian.']
1199107
Some percussion instruments, and particularly many types of bell and closely related instruments, are sometimes used as pitched percussion, and at other times as unpitched percussion. Some percussion instruments, such as the snare drum, are almost always used as unpitched percussion.
716083
There's a lot to worry about, stick heights, technique, learning the rudimentals, learning to read percussion-style music(it's has it's differences from horn sheet music, just because of rudiment reasons). It takes a lot of work, but it isn't impossible. It just depends on how much you're willing to practice.