I am a strong supporter of learning through books rather than videos, though I do use both. I do have a question about picking material. I know that the effect should somehow compliment your performance character. But I have never performed, though I do have an idea in store for what I would want to get across, so.....definitely something to work on. My question is when going through a book such as Royal Road or Expert Card Technique, these tomes that, though they have some effects in them that are great, are basically a technical manual to learn some of the basic and not so basic forms of sleight of hand. Do you recommend going through front to back and at least making yourself familiar with the basics of every sleight, or do you stop at one until you have it and then move to the next one. Or do you just study the sleights that you would need for the effects you perform?

You opinions would be most welcome.
Thanks
Shawn

Hi Shawn,

When I have received books of this nature I do find it useful to spend an hour or two just going through them all in brief. This gives me a good feel for the terms and directions used by the author and allows me to quickly find those moves that would be useful to me for the effects I like.

I often mark the contents page with light pencil to note the ones I'm most interested in.

Hope this helps,
Alistair

Whether it's a technique book or trick book, I look at everything and work with the sleights a bit.
Sometimes there are gems in the pages that can be overlooked.

I most often look at everything occasionally skipping a few things. Ill look at a sleight, and read what it can do then look at the technique. If I like it ill spend a little bit of time learning it and practicing it, then I will move on to the next. If I want to remember a page, ill use a piece of paper as my bookmark and write down every page I want to go back to.

I have a very similar dilemma Shawn, especially as I'm a little anal-retentive, and find it difficult not to start a book by working on trick #1, #2, etc., in order. There are a few suggestions in the following thread I started. Feel free to add comments there too:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=41

I fully agree with most here. I myself read books from cover to cover. Marking what I find most interesting to learn. Yet most of all, if it seems like something that would "fit me".

But also when I look at a sleight, I also ask myself “How many other things can I use this for?" I do not perform regularly. So if it is a sleight that I may use for 1 trick and 1 effect only, I may tend to pass it by. If I do not use it or can apply it towards something else, I may tend to forget it. Or it will become sloppy.

I try to find sleights that I can apply or use as different techniques for different effects. That way I can alternate between them. And keep them all (pretty much) in practice.

Some books I have read I can't understand what they are trying to say. Anybody else have this problem?

Emanmagic5,

There are some writers whose styles are more difficult for me read than others.
Not only magic books but others as well.