Very newbie question this one:
I want to show my specs (wife and close relatives to us) some rope magic. I am learning magic, and have a long way to go, and all I have on ropes are in Mark Wilson’s complete course in magic. Are the tricks there any good? I realize CNR is a killer, how about the rest of them? Can I present CNR as a stand-alone trick, i.e. without other rope stuff? Any tips and recommendations are more than welcome!

I believe there is a L & L Publishing DVD on rope magic that people rave about. I have never seen it, because I already have a library of rope magic, but I've been told it is a great place to start. Learn the tricks well before you do them for your wife, because wives are our harshest critics.
Al Angello

A fairly cheap investment is the Karl Fulves book on self-working rope tricks. There are some hidden gems but it doesn't contain probably the most popular routine of all, Professor's Nightmare, and I don't think the Wilson book does either. A more expensive but worthwhile investment which will keep you busy for a while is Fiber Optics which contains both PN and cut and restored as part of a longer routine. Or you could look at Whit Haydn's brilliant Mongolian Pop Knot which also incorporates both.

Take Al's advise.

The L&L Greatest Magicians series on rope magic is great.
I think it's the best of the series.
Michael Finneys rope routine is worth the price alone.
He's so funny!!
The DVD is mainly C&R rope, but still great.

Randi

Randirain
Is the Michael Finney rope routine funny, or is it funny because Michael Finney does it. Everything he does is hillarious.
Al Angello

Oh... it's a great routine.
Most of it is something that only HE could do and get away with.
There are some mild sexual jokes in there.

But...
If you take the root of the idea, and make it your own, it's a great routine.
I do my version of Finneys C&R rope at every show.

Randi

Fless, a big tip would be to peruse Ebay for used videos. I have picked up a few rope tapes (as well as others) for as little as a $2 apiece. Nobody wants tapes these days and there are people out there dumping them for a fraction of their original cost. You'll find some gems out there.

Snidini

Thanks a lot everyone! I'll look into the stuff!

Fless,

Yes, some of the rope tricks in Mark Wilson's course are good. I still perform the Impossible Rope Escape regularly, to great reaction.

Keith

Thanks. I think I will work through wilson's stuff, and then turn to fiber optics (unless wilson's is suffice that is...).

I do not do a lot of rope magic, But I starting to learn it. The simpple C&R rope impress my wife as much as anything. She sees a lot of magic, & I use her to gauge what works for lay people. She is more impressed by that than any knucklebusting effect that I do. I bought the book Encyclopedia of Rope Magic, & it is a great book, but for me, too much information at one time. Sandssentional Rope by Gerge Sands is a great routine. Pick one , learn it , keep it simple. I am still amazed at how professors nightmare blows people away.
my sugestions for routines:
Whit Haydn's Mogolian Pop Kont
Gerrge sands sandsentional rope routine
Michael Finney Lady Rope Trick

Richgerb86
I cary about 10 rope effects with me, and maybe I'll see you Feb 11th for some show, and tell after the lecture.
Al Angello

I'd second the opinion for Fiber Optics. Very visual, entertaining routine. My wife's eyes just about bugged out the first time I performed it for her.

Regards, Steve

Fless

Yes, Wilson's book is a great place to start. Many of the above are great effects, but from what you described as your audience, you don't need those (and may not want them).

I highly recommend Wilson's modification to the Kellar String trick (p247), it really amazes people, and it happens right in their own hands. I've further modified that trick by letting the spectator choose a color (from 3) to mark the two ends of the string. Then when they see what used to be *ends* of string, now the center of the string (with their coloring), they are amazed.

If you want a broader selection of rope tricks, look at Fulve's Self Working Rope, big selection, at a very cheap price (yet as mentioned above, neither of these include Professors Nightmare, but you can buy that as a stand alone effect for just a few dollars). If you get "crazy" about rope tricks, get the Encyclopedia of Rope Tricks.

I would then recommend looking into some (finger) ring and string type effects. The are fun to do close up. Mark Wilson has very limited effects for this, but Greg Wilson has a great DVD for this, Ring Leader.

Enjoy
John

Thanks again gentlemen!

My next show is up for Valentine, and I will probably only manage CNR among rope tricks by then. Will look into the rest of the wilson stuff + professor's nightmare later.

John; thanks for the modification/improvement. How to the specs color-mark the ends? With a permanent marker pen?

Whit Haydn's "Mongolian Pop-Knot". Do it verbatim just as he created it. Very funny, very entertaining.

Fless

I bought some "Many Mini Markers" from CVS (~$5 for 75, in a box). They are thinner than a pencile, about 3" long, and happen to be washable. I put 3 different colors in a small baggie that easily fits in my magic-fanny-pack. The wider the tip on the marker, however, the easier it will be for the spec to color the ends, w/o them noticing something funny about those "ends".

I let the person choose a color from the 3 I have with me. I let them make the cut first, mark the ends w/their free choice of a color, then I pull the cut ends far apart(to help give the impression that there are now really 2 separate pieces of string), and state that they cut the string in two, and they put the color of their choice on the (other) ends. I then put the gimmicked ends in their fist, and have them turn their fist over. I then say something like, "wouldn't it be amazing if the ends of the string fused together all on their own?"... "Well I'm not that good"... "I need your help" "pay attention, you may actually feel the strings merge back into one piece" (this wording was motivated by Knepper's "Wonder Words"). Then I either hold, or let others hold the free ends out, and have the person holding the string slide their hand back and forth.

The spectators often comment that they felt the strings doing something in their hands. I will then pull the string out of their hand, and dangle it in front of their eyes, and point out that the color they put on the *ends* are now in the *middle* of the string. I will snap the string to prove it is solid, remove any traces of the Wilson gimmick, and let them inspect it.

This trick is so simple, its even in Magic for Dummies, but with the Wilson modification, and the coloring of the ends(The coloring of the ends does eliminate the possibility of having switched the ends.), people are really amazed.

I don't know how long you have been doing magic, but I recommend that you familiarize youself with resources like Wilson's Complete Course, Tarbell (volume 6 has a lot of rope magic, but its worth buying them as a set), and the other general texts, before you buy the so called "commercial" routines (e.g.; Mongolian Pop-off knot). I say that, not because those routines are weak (rather, they are very good), but they are more expensive, there is so much more to learn and enjoy from the books(you can learn how to tie a "pop-off" knot from Fulves Self Working Rope), and it sounds like you will be doing more close up than actual stage.


Enjoy!
John

John;

Great stuff, thanks a lot! I will definitely apply your mod to the trick, once I've studied Wilson's description! Sounds powerful indeed!

I already study Wilson, and Tarbell looks like next, unless I dive right into Giobbi's Card College, I'll see about that. I am strictly amateur, and close-up is definitely the way to go for me...
Best;
fless

I find the problem with a lot of rope tricks is that they are over rather quickly and they are not strongly motivated. The benefit of studying routines like the Mongolian pop knot (even if you don't actually buy it and perform it) is that it gives you ideas on how to string tricks together into a coherent routine. I also like Tarbell for that reason because he gives lots of patter, even if it's a bit dated.

The easiest and most mind-blowing Cut & Restored Rope routine can be found in a rather obscure place.

See here:
http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php......fca0b264

Best $3.50 you'll ever spend. And, if you follow the instructions, you'll have a Cut & Restored Rope routine that will fool MAGICIANS (done it)!

The device can be put together with a few dollars (parts found in any hardware store), and was one of MY first routines. It's FAST and you end clean!

Hope this helps!

Doug