Hi all,

I am well not a novice, but I think this is the best place to put my experience down. The last couplee year I quite intensively learned magic. Most of the time out of magic books/dvd's, but offcourse also from forums like these.

In these forums I have read a couple of times that it might be good to join a regional/local magic meeting. Well I know it's a good place to get experience in performing and get feedback from experienced magicians.

Recently I was invited to come to one of those magic meetings. It was really nice. Only one thing scared me a bit and gave me a moral dilemma to play with. At the meeting everyone who wanted to perform an effect could do so. After that we discussed the effect and gave some tips, but also the tricks were explained. For example someone performed silent treatment, a great effect. But then he went into the explanations of how to make the gimmick and that we could copy some of the vital pages of the effect so we could make our own, without buying the effect. And that was not the only effect I was allowed to copy if I would like to. ..

I was wondering how far most magic communities go in explaining and giving other people explanations/blueprints to copy the effect. Because I allways thought professional magicians were quite strickt on legality issues and wanted to reward the inventor, but now I am a bit confused. Anyone else has some good advice for handling with these situations?

Offcourse I am not reveiling the name of the magic club I met, it could be anywhere in the Netherlands since I can travel free of charge. If someone of that specific magic community reads it, I mean no harm to your community, but I only want to make sure my moral issue is resolved before the next meeting.

One question, was this "club" an affiliation of the SAM or IBM or any other credible organization or was it just a group of locals? I ask this because I was once a member of SAM/IBM ('70s) and that practice was not tolerated. If you wanted to know the secret, you did want everyone else did...you bought it. If the issue of morality bugs you, then you must decide whether that practice fits your character...walk or stay it's your choice. My choice is to walk.
Cardamagically,
<<<KRaZy4KaRdZ>>>

Hold the door for me please, KRZ4kardz... I'm right behind you. Performance practice, tips and some help with mechanics is about all you'll get at my ring, which is the way it should be. Exposure by any other name is still exposure.

It's one of the 24 regional unions under the wing of the Dutch magical union. I found it quite shocking myself, but because it was my first time at a magical gathering I kept myself a bit on the background and wasn't ready to see such things. I wouldn't want to be the nagging wannabe member strait away at my first meeting.

My dilemma is a bit about what to do. Offcourse I would like to join a magical gathering, an this one is by far the closest. I like the style and acceptance of all kinds of members (different specialisations, skill-levels, experience etc.), but I am very much opposed to the magic sharing that quite a lot of the magic members do. Maybe I should write the board of that regional union a letter regarding this, and/or discuss about it on our next meeting, or just leave offcourse... I am still in doubt.

I would suggest contacting the IBM (magician.org) and see if you can start a local Ring in your area. I believe that you only need 5 members to get started. Good luck.

I thought it took 10 members to start a IBM Ring. Did they change it?

Mark.

It is 10.
You don't have to stay but I would suggest raising your concern with the club's president or more senior members first. It may change something. Maybe they are not considering what they are doing wrong.

I just checked with IBM, it is 10.

I run a local magic club in Edmonton. It is not (yet) affiliated with IBM. We wanted to make sure there were sufficient numbers coming out on a regular basis to justify eventually turning it into a Ring. Having said that, however, we do try to adhere to the recognized code of conduct.

The key focus in our meetings tends to be on presentation. For instance, in one meeting several months back, several members demonstrated their presentation of Professor's Nightmare. There was no discussion of how the trick was done, but many of the members were completely amazed at the various ways a simple trick could be presented.

Now, we also have the benefit of an online dealer who attends our meetings on a regular basis. So, if someone asked about the trick, it would have been a simple matter of naming the effect and directing him to the dealer or his website. That's really how we tend to deal with questions of method. We simply identify the trick and tell them where they can get it.

On another evening, several members had expressed an interest in Ninja Rings. They had all purchased the rings and DVD's from our dealer/member, but they were having difficulties in learning some of the moves taught. So, the members each broght their rings and moved over to a corner of the room to help each other out.

The interesting thing was that no one other than owners of the Rings participated in the workshop.

I guess every club operates a little differently, but I'm pretty pleased with the way our informal little organization has run.

Kent

In my opinion that is exactly how a magic club should operate. To me the idea is just to hang out with likeminded friends and maybe learn something by listening to converstaions and taking part in them. Not to learn effects.
I think in any case (not arrogantly) that by learning new effects it is not going to do anything for my routines. If I feel I want to learn a new effect I will either buy the necesary prop or equipment or buy the DVD or book in which it is. There are very few magicians who can teach as well as a well made DVD or well written book. If you burn ask for advice.
If a person asks me about a trick I ask them to show it to me and then fix what I think can be fixed or improved. I can not help you if you cannot show me whatis going wrong. And if you don't know how it works to start with then how can anyone help you.
Kent, I think your club does exactly what should be done.