why do most bards....

[Eir_Z]

Bards have to play their crit buff songs to enable more than half of their job mechanics. I think you’re referring to Foe’s Requiem or Battle Voice? Those two are on rather long recast timers.

[Rongway]

I think you’re referring to Foe’s Requiem or Battle Voice?

No, I've been in DF with Lv70 BRDs who refuse to sing on trash because they're saving their "cooldowns" for the boss. Non-singing BRDs still exist, despite the ability to maintain 100% uptime on songs.

[Remyogic]

No, I've been in DF with Lv70 BRDs who refuse to sing on trash because they're saving their "cooldowns" for the boss. Non-singing BRDs still exist, despite the ability to maintain 100% uptime on songs.

Does anybody go "all out" and pop their cooldowns on TRASH? I never sing on trash unless it's a very large pull. It just isn't necessary on regular trash pulls where stuff dies in <30 seconds anyways.

Conversely, I make a concerted effort to keep my song uptime as close to 100% as possible on bosses. Where it actually makes a difference.

[JohnnyDevo]

Does anybody go "all out" and pop their cooldowns on TRASH? I never sing on trash unless it's a very large pull. It just isn't necessary on regular trash pulls where stuff dies in <30 seconds anyways.

Conversely, I make a concerted effort to keep my song uptime as close to 100% as possible on bosses. Where it actually makes a difference.

... but mage's ballad during trash is literally how bard does trash. You dot things during the pull, tap mage's ballad when things settle, and go to town with aoe.

And why would you only keep song uptime at 100% on bosses when you can keep your song uptime at 100% on bosses AND at 100% on trash? Are you just clipping your songs that badly? You have a total of 90 seconds of song, and each has an 80s cooldown. That's a 100% uptime feature.

EDIT: Also, YES. everyone should be using cooldowns on trash. Everything takes an amount of time to die, therefore cooldowns are always applicable to reduce that amount of time. And when you keep your cooldowns rolling, you end up with more uses in the dungeon. Using cooldowns = faster dungeon.

[TheOneCalledSketch]

Does anybody go "all out" and pop their cooldowns on TRASH? I never sing on trash unless it's a very large pull. It just isn't necessary on regular trash pulls where stuff dies in <30 seconds anyways.

Conversely, I make a concerted effort to keep my song uptime as close to 100% as possible on bosses. Where it actually makes a difference.

Once I get my third song my intention is to have a song up at all times. For trash, for not trash, for waiting around, for dancing to, as background music for getting our group's respective groove on, etc.
I'd never want to see that crit buff disappear from my screen.

Necessary? Probably not.
Likely to get noticed though? You betcha.

[Thela]

Does anybody go "all out" and pop their cooldowns on TRASH? I never sing on trash unless it's a very large pull. It just isn't necessary on regular trash pulls where stuff dies in <30 seconds anyways.

Conversely, I make a concerted effort to keep my song uptime as close to 100% as possible on bosses. Where it actually makes a difference.

Let me ask you this counter question. Why would you NOT use something that is designed to be up 100% of the time anyway? rotate between them and you will always have one available to use, an argument can be made maybe saving the best one for the opener of the upcoming boss fight if you're close to reaching the boss, but holding on to it while it would be back up for the boss fight anyway is kinda counter productive.