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Garrett Nelson Special user 644 Posts |
There are a few books that are held as sacred among card guys (and gals I suppose, though I haven’t had the fortune of meeting one). “Expert at the Card Table” and “Expert Card Technique” are the first two that come to mind.
Many consider it taboo to consider anything in those sources as inferior to a newer technique. I agree that these are important texts for a serious student, but do you think it is possible that they are accepted blindly at times? In other words that something new (or a different finesse on something) is dismissed because it contradicts one of them, or claims to have improved it? Recently ‘Stevepr104’ posted this intro to Draun’s book, which sums up how I feel about it pretty well (although I wouldn’t go so far as to say all the sleights have been improved). Would you agree with this? In the introduction to “Secrets Draun from Underground” Draun writes: "First of all, in my opinion, if you are still using old techniques like those found in classic books such as Expert Card Technique or The Expert at the Card Table, you are using inferior handlings. Please do not misunderstand, I am not disparaging these old books, and many of the methods and effects are great and I have learned much from them, but we have not all been sitting on our hands for the last fifty or hundred years. The slights have been improved. So if it's the best technology you're after, read the most advanced, modern literature." Thanks, Garrett |
Darwin Ortiz V.I.P. 486 Posts |
Garrett:
I think the Draun quote greatly overstates the case. Tremendous technical progress has been made in card magic in recent years. Most of it, however, consists in creating alternative techniques for specialized situations rather than superior ways of performing the classic moves. For example, many new palming techniques have been devised over the years. But for palming a group of cards off the top or bottom of the deck or replacing palmed cards on the bottom, I don’t think anything has surpassed the methods taught in Erdnase. The best method for top palming a single card also comes from an old book, Dai Vernon’s Select Secrets. I appreciate your point that we shouldn’t assume that a technique is better just because it’s old. The more common tendency I see among magicians, however, is to assume that a technique is better just because it’s new. I advise reading the best of the old books and the best of the new ones and learning from both. The phenomenon you mention, I see more often in regard to old, legendary magicians rather than old, legendary books. Many will quote such magicians as if quoting scripture to settle an argument. As Vernon advised, you have to think for yourself. Sincerely, Darwin Ortiz |
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