The only way I know to get the familiarity with the changes to the various standards is what I posted above, Scott.

Yes, having a Melody in your head that matches the changes is a very good way to approach soloing IMO. It also avoids that situation where a player is playing "all the right notes" but isn't making very much coherent sense out of them.

There is also a method in which a player designs or derives their own custom Melody to fit the chord changes. This too can create a coherency that people will sense more than hear out of the expectancy that comes from the listener also knowing the Melody.

Matter of fact, that is what Charlie Parker did with just about all of his great Bebop tunes - each one is a different Melody put to the changes of a tune popular at the time.

For one example, Bird's "Koko" is based on the "Cherokee" changes.




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