I've decided that my stage act (10 minutes in length for a comp) will start off with slower music for the first few effects and then I'm thinking of using some rock style music for the rest. I've never really seen many magicians use rock style music. I thought it might make it quicker paced and also I'm young so it would suit nicely. What does everyone reckon? Good or bad idea?

Good idea, any music that suits your effects and routines will work.

Music that works with the routine is a great idea. It will help you stay right on schedule during your act and it will let the judges know that this act is planned. I think it helps the audience to focus too.

The type of music is really determined by your act. When I did fashion shows and Hilton Hotels, in the same show I would do magic using many kinds of music ranging from beach music for swimsuits, county music for jeans and western, "elevator" music for professional/work clothes, rock-n-roll and techno for party clothes, to "Wine and Roses" for evening wear.

Plenty of magicians use rock music. Unfortunately the match to their routine is often missing. They are simply using the music they know. Fit is everything.

Good Luck! Let us know how things work out.

Bob
Magic By Sander

Rock music has been used for a long time, pretty much since it was invented. Back in the 80s it was a big thing to use rock music with big hair, sort of mimmicing the hair bands of the 80s. Nicholas Night used to do it, Chezaday, Franz, even Copperfield a little bit.

I was doing a lot of thinking about it last night. I'm not sure how well it will work out. Is it a good idea to change character during a 10 minute act? What about the music totally changing during the act without finishing the song? how would I go about this without it sounding odd? or do I not do it at all? I was going to start with a floating rose to slow softer music. Then do some card manipulation and dove work to the same sort of music but a different song. Then I was going to take off my bowtie and jacket for a more casual look and continue with some more dove work and more faster tricks. I'm really confused about what to do. Any help would be great. Thanks.
James

Call it the "10 minute vaudeville". You could change styles, characters, music as long as each ending has a climax either visually or emotionally. The soundtrack could even be sped up for the last 30 seconds as you rush to keep up. Just finish each segment with some sort of climax.

Another idea would be to use the soundtrack as if someone was changing radio stations on you. You would start with slow music and just as you complete it, you would have the audio immediately go into a dial sweep. Include the static and stop briefly on a station. Say that station is playing the "chicken dance". Do a quick chicken dance to the song then immediately go to the dial sweep. You could easily put 3 strong effects together in a 10 minute act and add 3-5 different 10 second comedy "skits" during the sweeps of the dial. Imagine stopping the dial on a country station and you act confused but the show MUST GO ON. So you start to do a hoedown and just then the station sweeps away across some static to another station. If it's in your character, I'm sure there are 100's of ideas that you could use for the comedy stations and stops. Also act like someone else is controlling the dial and you are adlibbing just trying to salvage the act. The final sequence would then be sped up so it goes faster and faster as you try to keep up. Make the ending sequence your strongest and something you can keep pace with. There are a variety of ways to speed up recorded audio to it increases incrementally. I think it has possibilities.