Kamikazi Kat

Never tried that before. When I think of melodic drumming I think less about notes and more about texture and feel. Its hard to explain, but there is that vibe that Vertical was talking about that you can hear in a good drummer. I think creative drumming is more having a sort of sense and feel, and less of something that can be explained.

A few drummers that have that feel and texture that I'm talking about:

Listen to the song colony of Birchmen by Mastodon. I can't find the actual track on youtube, but there is a drum track only video (I'm assuming there are copyright issues with the full song). The drum part goes great with creating a heavy and almost earthy feel in the actual song: Mastodon - colony of Birchmen (Drums Only). The drums kind of mold into the guitar part and help create the feel of the song.

Hella - The Things People Do When They Think No Ones Looking. A very tame sample of Zach Hill's drumming. His drumming may be considered inaccessible and too crazy for some, but his drumming is very unique and abstract, especially in his other work with Hella without the vocals.

Mike Johnston - John Legend Play Along. Another example of drumming with great feel and sense. Maybe these all aren't examples of melodic drumming, but I'm just giving examples of a few that expand past the boring "time-keeping." Drumming does get much more interesting once you obtain the skill to be able to pull this kind of stuff off and develop that kind of sense.