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JacquesDeCoeurs New user 27 Posts |
Hi all
I was wondering (and did a bit of a search to no avail) whether anyone has written a book that teaches a collection of sleights, etc, but then, rather than teach tricks, it teaches the individual how to create their own tricks by combining the moves in different ways. Cheers |
Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts |
There really isn't anything exactly what you are talking about, as far as I am aware anyway. What does exist are some very helpful books that talk about the creative process and/or more specifically, offer ideas on how magic works and what tools are available to you. I'm thinking about things in books by Tamariz, Ortiz, and Kurtz. Those immediately come to mind when I think of magic theory and those authors have analyzed various concepts in magic and they should be a go-to resource for anyone wanting to design their own tricks.
Consider the following, borrowed from an ad for the book: In Designing Miracles, Darwin Ortiz continues the task he began in Strong Magic: to explore and raise the level of craft in magic. This time he presents a groundbreaking study of how laymen think and what it takes to amaze them. Darwin has earned a reputation for creating some of the strongest card effects in modern magic. In Designing Miracles, he reveals for the first time the principles and techniques that he follows in doing so. These insights will help you choose stronger effects, create stronger effects, and strengthen those effects that you’ve already performing. If you’ve ever been puzzled by an audience’s reaction or lack of it, this book will dispel the mystery. It gives you a new set of tools for understanding how magic works, why it sometimes doesn’t, and how to make it work better. Never again will you be at a loss as to why an effect isn’t playing well. Never again will you be at a loss as to what to do about it. If your goal is to provide your audiences with an unforgettable experience of impossibility, you’ll find Designing Miracles filled with insights to help you do so. It will teach you how to use the audience’s own thinking patterns against them. It will show you how to turn puzzles into miracles. It will do something that few magic books can: change with way you think about magic. “Here we have an outstanding new book by one of the modern-day masters of card magic, Darwin Ortiz. Darwin lays out a new way oflooking at how the mind is fooled. You will look at magic effects differently, and your thinking about magic will be stimulated andchallenged. Without studying the principles set forth in this book, no magical education can be complete. Books like Designing Miracles, andStrong Magic that came before it, are more rare and important today than ever before.” – Whit Haydn There do exist a number of YouTube videos from some currently popular magicians that discuss creativity and offer tips on how to create your own effects. You can just go to YouTube and search for "creating magic" and get some hits. Other searches will come to you as you go. Creativity comes naturally to some, not so much to others. Some have a set pattern of things they do in order to "get in the mood" to create. Some just "play" with things until an inspiration develops. As really simple thing is to just sit and formulate an idea of an effect and then, after narrowing down the parameters, beginning to work out solutions. Sometimes the effect will require that you learn a new technique. Other times it may require a gimmick of some sort, whether it be an existing one or one you have to create. A lot of trial and error ensues. Many creators begin with a nugget of an idea and only come up with a solution years later. Perhaps in the interim they learn something which helps to move that original idea along. Maybe they see another effect and it impacts their thinking. Or they learn a new sleight only to realize it would be perfect in conjunction with their idea. I think the creative process can benefit from having a standardized system in place that can help to steer the development of an idea. Maybe it is an index card with a list of statements that need to be answered as you formulate the effect. Regarding your specific question, there are books where a sleight is taught and then a number of effects using that sleight are detailed. But I'm not aware of a book or video where a number of techniques are taught and then the author mixes and matches them to create an effect on the spot. Another person who has talked about being creative is Gregory Wilson. I remember seeing an online presentation, I think through The Conjuror Community, where he and a collaborator, David Gripenwaldt , talked about how they came up with effects which can be done with existing things from a coffee shop. It was well worth watching. Their efforts resulted in what is called 'Coffee House Conjuring' and you can find it at your favorite online dealer. Just some ideas, hope it helps.
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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ThomasJ Special user Chicago 999 Posts |
Quote:
On May 11, 2023, JacquesDeCoeurs wrote: Forgive me if I am misunderstanding the question, but if the book did what you described above, it would essentially be teaching tricks, no? I'm not sure a book of sleights would inspire creativity. Creating magic begins in the mind well before the hands are involved. Check out Secret Agenda by Roberto Giobbi. It's not exclusively filled with sleights or moves, but there are many within its pages. The book is full of principles, philosophical ideas, suggestions, improvements, exercises, and many more bits of wisdom that Giobbi has culled from various sources and his own experience. It definitely encourages the reader to think creatively. It's written kind of like a journal, with each day representing a new entry, the majority of which are self-contained nuggets of wisdom. The more you immerse yourself in learning how to structure an effect and THINK creatively, the more you will be able to synergize the sleights you learn to create your own tricks. Focus on the effect you want to achieve first, and then work out the sleights that will make the effect possible. If the latter is the part you're having trouble with, revisit a classic such as Expert Card Technique. If you read that book cover to cover, you will have plenty of sleights at your disposal with which to create effects. Avoid creating effects based on the sleights themselves. Ray's suggestion about Darwin Ortiz's Designing Miracles is prudent. Ortiz's book Strong Magic is also a must-read. And of course you can't go wrong with Tamariz's The Magic Rainbow and The Magic Way. Best of luck! T.J. |
Nikodemus Inner circle 1139 Posts |
There is SO much more to creating a good trick than just a bunch of sleights. In fact there is a saying about turning a good trick into a great one by removing sleights.
To prove my point, here is Mac King doing his version of Cards Across. The sleights are rudimentary. But that doesn't matter - the structure provides natural misdirection at the required moments. However, the real genius is the presentation that elevates it from just another card trick to something sublime - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pKj3ZkEDhE |
Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts |
The OP asked:
"it teaches the individual how to create their own tricks by combining the moves in different ways." This presumes the author would create something based upon THEIR creativity. It might also explain how to create DIFFERENT handlings of the same effect, in other words, different ways to accomplish the same thing. That idea, or something close to it, was advanced in Daryl's 'Confessions of a Puerto-Rican Gambler' book, where he explained multiple methods for essentially the same effect. The idea was to take advantage of specific performing situations and to choose the best method for an effect based on the conditions encountered. Not a bad approach. I think what the OP would like is a book (or video presumably) where a magician "creates" an effect and explains their choices along the way. Why they used the sleights they chose, what other options there might be for certain situations, etc. It certainly could be interesting and helpful. In the end, it would be one performer's way of doing it. While interesting, whether it ends up being useful is another matter. It could be, but to me it would be just another resource to draw from when devising one's own methods for creativity.
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts |
ThomasJ reminded me of an article Roberto Giobbi wrote that was published in Genii. It was a list of all of the types of effects that are possible with cards. Of course many of the effects would also be appropriate for other items also. Coins, for example.
Here is the Magicpedia page that lists the effects, and some other helpful resources, including a list from Denis Behr. http://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php/......fication Resources such as these could be helpful in formulating your own effects.
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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ThomasJ Special user Chicago 999 Posts |
Quote:
On May 11, 2023, Ray J wrote: This made me think of Marlo |
Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts |
Quote:
On May 11, 2023, ThomasJ wrote: Yes, Marlo is probably the king of variants. Some have criticized him, saying that he tried to anticipate potential variations and get them into print first, whether they were really any good or not. To me, the key that separates Daryl's thinking was that he provided options that took advantage of conditions. So the thinking is, construct a given routine so that you can use the strongest method the conditions warrant. Not variation for the sake of variation but with purpose.
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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balbec New user few 62 Posts |
« The magic rainbow » by Juan Tamariz does exactly this.
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