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TeddyBoy Special user New York, NY 595 Posts |
How frequently do you add new effects to your repertoire?
So many sleights...so little time.
"Slow...deliberate...natural." Bill Tarr Cheers, Teddy |
Fromentum Loyal user 279 Posts |
Well it depends.
I try out new stuff permanently but most of it I forget over time again and only few things are performed for years. So: Added: constantly Permanently added: rarely |
jaschris Loyal user 223 Posts |
I'm a serious hobbyist rather than a professional magician. Although I do have the occasional professional gig - in that I get paid for performing. I don't advertise or anything like that. I delve into, and practice, probably about 10 tricks per year. Typically, only 2-3 of those make it into my long term repertoire.
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Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts |
Yes, it depends on what sort of magician you are. If you are a working pro, I believe John Mendoza's take on it applies. He said professionals don't really change their repertoire so much as they freshen it. Once you develop a set that "works", you should be hesitant to make substantive changes. You've honed your performance and presentations and unless an effect just blows you away and is begging to replace something else, you stand pat. When you do add something new, that is the freshening. Freshening your act keeps you excited and gives you something to continue working on. How does this new effect fit into the set? Is it an opener, closer or one of those bread-and-butter routines that fits into the middle? Deciding where to insert a new effect is important. It really can change the entire set. And finally...
If you are constantly adding, how are you ever going to perfect everything?
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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Frank Yuen Elite user 454 Posts |
If you are not performing professionally then you should probably add to your repertoire more frequently as your audience, for the most part, never changes and is smaller. If you perform for a living, it's your audience that changes so there isn't a need to constantly add effects. The one caveat to this is having a regular restaurant gig. There you will often encounter the same people week after week so it's nice to be able to show them something new.
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TeddyBoy Special user New York, NY 595 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 21, 2021, Tortuga wrote: That is exactly what was on my mind. I would think that if you are really into learning new tricks (like me), it would be hard to keep optimizing your routine. Maybe I will get tired of continually learning new stuff.
So many sleights...so little time.
"Slow...deliberate...natural." Bill Tarr Cheers, Teddy |
copperct New user Cincinnati, Ohio 93 Posts |
I have recorded specific tricks that I like into a Notion database that has all of the books, scans of the handlings and some information about the trick (setup required? full deck vs. packet - that sort of thing).
Then, I go through and try to string together 2-5 tricks into a routine where I can play around with my setups and such. So if a trick requires all Aces on the top or something, I can find a trick that would let me prep the setup earlier in the routine. I plan out when I will offer the deck for shuffling as well as build a script around the routines. Then I practice, practice and practice. Finally, when I feel like the routine is ready, I add it to the routines that are ready to go when people ask to see magic tricks. Because I'm able to flow these tricks together, I can then keep all the routines fresh by practicing them randomly in 20-minute blocks. I also know some are better completely in the hands, around a card table, or on a futon right in front of someone. It's fun because then, by the nature of building these routines, if someone wants to just see a 1-off trick, I have plenty to choose from. |
TeddyBoy Special user New York, NY 595 Posts |
Is Notion database a specific software product? Hard to learn? $$$$?
So many sleights...so little time.
"Slow...deliberate...natural." Bill Tarr Cheers, Teddy |
copperct New user Cincinnati, Ohio 93 Posts |
I think you can get a private license out there for free. There are limits to how big of attachments you can save (for scanned PDFs), but I haven't really run into that too much. In terms of learning, like everything else out there, I was able to find a couple of YouTube videos that brought me up to speed quick enough to be able to build out my database. It isn't fancy, but it's a nice place to be able to have everything centralized!
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1666 Posts |
Notion is a handy tool for note-taking and project management. I often recommend it to students who are looking for a better way to take and store notes. It is well suited to the study of magic and is essentially free if you do not need to collaborate with others on the platform.
Another useful note-taking/productivity tool is Trello. I have three magic boards which encourage me to learn new material even though I don't have much opportunity to perform (I'm still working from home due to the pandemic). Trello allows you to organise information using boards, lists and cards. I have a "Magic Study Board" that allows me to organise and track the books, DVDs, downloads and tricks that I'm currently studying. If I discover a trick I like enough to learn, I add it to a "Magic Practice Board". Currently, this board has a list for each day of the week and allows me to schedule more mindful magic practice sessions. Finally, if I decide to perform a trick or routine for actual humans, rather than just imaginary people, I add it to something I call my "Magic SPRITE Board". SPRITE stands for Scripting, Practising, Rehearsing, Improving, Testing and Evaluating. These are the stages I go through to make sure my tricks are performance-ready. Only once a trick has gone through this process is it added to a "setlist". These are lists of tricks that I like to perform together, usually three or five trick sets. My approach is very similar to the way a musician would do things. |
The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 21, 2021, Tortuga wrote: It's not uncommon for magicians to routine their set in such a way that somewhere in the middle they test out new things, while still keeping the same opener and closer. Also, magicians with steady gigs at fixed venues may decide to regularly adjust their material to ensure that repeat customers don't get bored seeing the same tricks over and over. Sometimes it's as easy as using the same card force every time but changing the reveal.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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1KJ Inner circle Warning: We will run out of new tricks in 4385 Posts |
Burnaby Kid, Yes, that is what I do.
And, a database is a great solution. Personally, I simply use excel. I use it to track all the magic I own, where it is located, and keywords to help me find something. Most magicians are not regular professionals, but people interested in magic. To do the same tricks over and over would be a nightmare for most amateur, or like myself, semi-pro magicians. I do have some routines that I frequently do that I don't even have to think about, but every gig I do, I prepare quite a bit of new stuff for my own enjoyment. I just did a magic booth designed to promote an organization. I was the only performer, I had no idea who might approach the booth, so I had magic for all ages and interests ready. I had a lot of give-away magic ready to go. Most people seem to love magic, as my booth was one of the more popular ones, but a number of people, oddly enough, would come to the booth and tell me that they "hate" magic. To that, I would reply "Do you like free gifts?" I would then do a really quick trick revealing a gift. Back to the database: I use my spreadsheet to find things from my vast arsenal for specific gigs. |
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
It depends on what phase you are in your career, what your career actually is, (hobby or professional.) and who you work for.
I have not added much of anything in decades. I change audiences literally every night. I put more polish on the things I know.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
1KJ Inner circle Warning: We will run out of new tricks in 4385 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 21, 2021, Ray J wrote: Life isn't about perfection, it is about attainment. |
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