Blade Kit "Builds?"

I want to try out a Bard since I like the idea of someone that can swing a blade and sling a spell. It seems that the Blade would be the most combat oriented of the Bard kits. What about weapon proficiencies? One of the Blade's bonuses is that he can have three points in dual-weapon fighting, but is that the only viable way to go? My problem with dual-wielding and shields is that it precludes the use of two-handed ranged weapons. Would a Blade wielding a greatsword or a longsword with single-weapon fighting be viable? I could see the greatsword being okay due to the max damage with offensive spin, but he'd lose out on the extra attack, so I'm not sure.

Also, what kind of INT score should Bards try to have at character creation?