Instrumentalist nomenclature

...which, incidentally, would make a very good album name. But not so good a band name.

Gye Greene and The Lady are apparently working late tonight. So it's myself and Ralphie; Ralphie and me; he's short like a dog and I'm tall like a tree...

But I digress!

What began as a rather random thought, as I putter around with GG's drum set (and pondering -- of all things -- John Entwhistle, bass player for The Who), is that:

-bass players are bass-ists
-guitar players are guitar-ists
-violin players are violin-ists
-trombone players are trombone-ists
-etc.

And yet: "people who play the drums" are neither "drum players" nor "drum-ists"; rather, they are "drum-ERS." Why is that?

Answers? Comments?


--TG