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blade Loyal user Philippines 208 Posts |
Great post!
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Brent McLeod Inner circle 1792 Posts |
Great original post Justin!
I think all magis on this Café have learnt or been offered advice, whether a beginner or seasoned pro! Its what makes magic, and more importantly, "entertaining" with magic a challenge--we're all still learning. Good luck with your future shows, etc. |
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paulsmagic Regular user 130 Posts |
Very good advice Justin.
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Edmund_Fitzgerald New user 66 Posts |
It's funny. The entire magic industry, as it were, is focused on what great effects you can buy.
But the truth is, if you spend maybe $30 on two or three classic books (Royal Road, Bobo on coins, etc) and a deck of bikes, and if you are prepared to practice like crazy, to master a small handful of tricks that speak to you and that you find hit well with spectators, then you can master magic as well as or better than all the people who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on gimmicks etc. And everyone in the industry will (perhaps secretly) acknowledge that you did the right thing.
---Magic: Its priceless. Its inside you. ---
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tony4938 New user Stafford, UK 94 Posts |
Great posts everyone!
A post I will visit all the time to heed the advice. |
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Jason Cardwell New user 17 Posts |
My puzzle is how to pick the six tricks? My mentor started me with sponge balls, rubber bands, a little bit of ropes, and then encouraged me when I picked up the Mark Wilson course. I see so much on line, particularly from Sankey, and I know there are so many basic magic principles I have yet to learn (I think Bobo may be the next step on my reading journey). My mentor has encouraged me to pick something--say paddle tricks, and become one of the best around at that, as he has specialized in ropes. But I'm still having so much fun exploring all the corners of the magic house...I'm not sure when I'll be ready to "settle down."
I will say this about pleasing yourself. Probably the best response I've ever gotten was with a short comedy routine I put together myself which ended using a utility prop (MG) to change a goldfish cracker into a live goldfish. I think I may have seen the idea somewhere, but no one taught me how to do it or fed me the "entertainment" that led up to the magic. Unfortunately, the goldfish didn't hold up too well under the stress of performing (they kept dying), so I don't know if I'll do it again... |
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Lee Darrow V.I.P. Chicago, IL USA 3588 Posts |
Jason, ask yourself: "Whats kinds of magic do I like to do and what kinds do I do well?" These two questions will help you far more than many more involved ones in that it cuts to the chase - what do you like to do and what do you do well (or, at least, seem to have an easy time with).
By focusing on these strengths first, you can then branch out from there, while having first built a solid core set of material that you know that (by the time you are ready) can do in your sleep. An example from my own experience: I recently had to have several teeth pulled (3 wisdom teeth that had not actually come through the gums and were starting to interfere with my chewing as they were setting my jaw at an odd angle). Due to a really strange anatomy (yep! I'm built funny as well as being someone who acts funny!), I really do not respond to local anesthetic at all, so they did the work while I was under general anesthesia - knocked out cold. Even then, the Oral Surgeon was amazed at the amount of medication it took to put me out. I woke about an hour and a half later, VERY woozy. I'm tough to put out, but I have just as tough a time waking up. While flat on my back in the recovery area, the Doc came in and told us that they were going to close for the day and wanted to know if I was ready to walk. I said, "you tell me," and did Crazy Man's Handcuffs for him. Fooled the daylights out of him so badly that he called his nurses in to see it as well. After I was done, he looked at my wife and said, "I think he's ready to go." When I tried to stand up, my legs simply refused to cooperate and I wound up almost sprawling on the floor. The Doc walked out of the room, muttering something about magicians being "able to do their stuff even heavily sedated - give them an audience and they just perform on automatic! Amazing - the guy can't even stand up!" I still get holiday cards from him reminding me of that event. Learn to do your effects to the point where they become completely automatic from a physical level and the presentation becomes a lot easier. Create a core of 6 - effects like that and you can't go very wrong... Hope this helps! Lee Darrow, C.H.
http://www.leedarrow.com
<BR>"Because NICE Matters!" |
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saxmangeoff Veteran user Moscow, ID, USA 353 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-12-07 03:49, Lee Darrow wrote: And be humble enough to accept that the answer to each question might be a different kind of magic. How you fancy yourself and how your audiences react to you may be quite different. When in doubt, go with what works on live audiences. Geoff
"You must practice your material until it becomes boring, then practice it until it becomes beautiful." -- Bill Palmer
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metwin1 New user Singapore 60 Posts |
Wonderful advice!
I find it tempting to learn a new trick, and show the trick to my friends the moment I get it right once. The thing is, during performance, nerves and shaking hands really does wonders to your presentation. Not to mention occasional mind blanks when nervous. After a few of those kinds of experience, you really begin to see the need to stop learning new tricks and really master the ones that you already know. |
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Jason Cardwell New user 17 Posts |
What about when you work with the same group of kids for years, as I do in youth ministry? It's not like I'm doing magic for them every week, but several times a year, anyway. I feel like I need to have at least one new surprise each time I do a show where my own church kids will be there.
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junkdz New user 67 Posts |
This is another post I will bookmark and continue to revisit from time to time. One more reminder not to get ahead of myself.
Montgomeryville Magician http://www.dzmagic.com Philadelphia Magician
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zur Special user California 671 Posts |
I completely agree but overall the beauty is that we are learning new material everyday from the site.
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mcmc Veteran user 310 Posts |
Junkdz - how do you bookmark on Café? I've been trying to figure it out but darned if I'm not flamboozled.
also, any idea if there's a way to get an automatic notification when someone replies to a post of yours (i.e. subscribe to a thread)? thx! |
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BlackShadow Special user London UK 666 Posts |
No doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you can have topic notification here. You can have PM notification by email and if want to bookmark this post, open your favourites tab in Internet Explorer, create a "Magic Café" folder and add the URL:
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......1&32 Calling it "Top tips thread" or whatever you want. As regards the subject of the thread, having five or six tricks you know really well is good advice. I like to make them pocket tricks so you can practice the moves at odd moments. Cards are ideal for this if the effect is not too complicated. You can also show the stuff to people on trains or in the supermarket queue to broaden your audiences Also, I wouldn't want to do an act consisting of entirely cards. For the last effect you could change the pack to a sponge under a silk and then run a quick sponge routine. Even though the act was 90% cards people will remember the variety suggested by the last effect. |
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Mitchum New user 59 Posts |
What a great thread. I learned more by reading this than I have in all the reading I did in the past month. Thanks!!
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calexa Inner circle Germany 1635 Posts |
Great posting Justin!
Magixx
Optimists have more fun.....
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theAmazinbryan Regular user 127 Posts |
Great post !!!you are wise
thanks again Bryan |
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BrianCooper New user Los Angeles, CA 55 Posts |
Awesome post sir. I am amazed at how much great stuff people pick up from the Café.
Brian Cooper |
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Zac Vee Veteran user Traveling the world with 370 Posts |
This is a great post, well done Justin,, keep it up.
Zac
peace, love and kindness.. no terms and conditions
1001 Magic Nights Blog www.kasrani1.wordpress.com http://www.kasrani.com/ |
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blueboy7948 New user UK 61 Posts |
Quote:
Lee - Oh how I learned that the hard way. I thought I could do loads of tricks and just string them together with no thought for a routine that would flow, no real thought into scripting or patter. Needless to say when it came to actually performing (not friends/family) I fell flat on my face. In some respects I also think it was a good way to learn, I'm one of those people that alwys learns the hard way. Stubborn and stupid like that. Lee is right. Become automatic in the mechanics and then work on selling the effect. Also get out there and perform for strangers there is no substitute for it. |
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