Okay, playing melodically as a drummer is very important. Learn the melodies. Learn the song forms. It all comes together. I definitely recommend before you start a song, because a lot of times the drummer ends up counting the band off; sing the song in your head before you start, that way you'll count it off the right tempo. It helps me out a lot. For instance, there's a song called Sunny, by Bobby Hebb. It's a old song. Wes Montgomery did a jazz version of it on the guitar. It's been done by a lot of people, very catchy. I'm not going to sing it right now, but you get the point. Check it out, and when I play it will make sense. But before I start, I sing it in my head, then I count it off, and then I play. What I'm going to do real quick is just play one time through, keeping a groove to the melody in my head. The second time, I'm going to take a solo right through the form; keeping the form and that's it. Hope you like it, Sunny, by Bobby Hebb, also done by Wes Montgomery. Now, if you go listen to this song, hopefully some of that will make some sense, cause really, all I'm trying to do is not think about the licks I'm playing, any of them. I'm doing my best just to focus on the melody, use my ears, and let whatever naturally happen.