When you were first starting out in magic (a novice, a beginner), professional and amature magicians alike would tell you that there are certain sleights, steals, concealments, and/or etc, etc (I am not naming any specific ones), and it would take years or months of continuos practise to master them and make then look real and natural and smooth and fluent.

How many of you found that just after a VERY few short hours of practise, that you had mastered these certain sleights, steals, concealments, and/or etc, etc, that these professional/amature magicians told you would take years or months of continuos practise to master, and that you could do them better or as good as the professional/amature magicians, and you could do them on a consistent basis, making them look real and natural and smooth and fluent?

How many of you have found out that you just had a natural ability to be able to do that in a short span of a few hours.

What were they? How short of time?

I didn't. I practiced over a year or so before I showed anybody anything. My very early sleights were DL, buckle, shifts, side steals, shuffle work. I did not feel smooth enough to show anyone sooner. Not even family. But, that was me.

Hi,

I wasn't thinking of myself reading your post but have been quoted in the past regarding natural ability. Some seem to have that extra something that viewing them for the first time you have no doubt they are destined for greatness in their field.

There's a 12 year old musician in my area that has been on numerous tv shows and featured in the news. From the moment he picked up a quitar at age 10 he played well beyond his years. He plays like Clapton, Hendrix and others..really amazing to watch him.

I've often thought that natural ability is often overlooked. Those who have been in magic for a long time may not pay attention to a very young newcomer. They may overlook them or not pay attention to them because their age or expertise.

Anyhow, I kinda went off topic (oops!) but you made an excellent point..there exist a few people who just have natuaral ability and will surpass even their mentors in a short time.

Chrystal

Also because our methods are so diverse we may have a natural aptitude for certain things but maybe not others(?)
example: it took me all of 5 minutes to nail Marlo's breakless curry turnover
with no previous knowledge of the original technique
but it took me about 3 years to get a convincing french drop.
I seem to be able to master color changes and card switches in no time but when it comes to false takes and placements my IQ and motor skills seem to become akin to those of a goldfish.

I think what's being called a "natural ability" with sleights is dependent on the structure and flexibility of ones hands and understanding how the sleight is done.

For me coins and other smaller props were easier that poker size cards.

For me the one handed top palm came very quickly. The first few tries I had at it I managed to get the card into plam without it swinging off to the side. I'm certainly not a master at it but considering that the majority of people have trouble even getting the card to move I didn't do too badly.

I'm a lot like Jazz.

Several of the coin sleights I learned from Bobo came quite naturally to me. But cards are a different story. I picked up a great "Card through the Window" routine about 1 year ago and I have yet to perform it. I want to do a back palm of the card and I just can't seem to get it down good enough and consistant enough. On this move I have no natural ability.

I think everyone have their good sleights and bad sleights..those that comes easy and those that comes with hard work and I even have those which never come at all..i just move on to the neext sleight when I am in that situation ..

I think the thing about magic is there are so many kinds sleights and some are easier than other . I think it also depend on how long you been doing sleights.
I think your hands get more use to doing sleights and it seem come easier as time go along . Natual ability to do sleights , is some what questionable .Look at a some of the very common coins sleights ,most tell you up front that this is not a natual way to hold your hand, so you train your hand to look natural while doing the sleight . The coins sleights were much harder
than the cards sleights for me .
Alson

When I first got into magic, a magician would sell me tricks behind a counter, and demenstrate cool things. He was incredible! Then I learned he had only been in magic for a year, and no joke, could do stuff smoother, than many of the top professionals can do after a lifetime of practice.

I think natural ability has more to do with intense interest than anything. As far as magicians telling you some sleights take years to master, realize some of that may just be P.T. Barnum hooey. After all we always want spectators to think we have worked years on something.

Sometimes it is a realzation by the sleight-of-hand artist that through the years the technique has just gotten better and better, more natural and more logical in execution - so in a sense it has taken years to perfect.

Some magicians enjoy doing mind bending finger flinging and work steadily year after year looking for perfection of execution while others simple replace it with more direct and simpler methods.

We tend to do more of what pleases us and less of what does not. One persons displeasure is another persons natural ability.

Frank Tougas

I would have to say so much is natural ability. I have seen some performers be in the biz forever and arn't too slick. While I have also seen some be in it for barly a year and be incredible. I feel that most magicians out there are not good at all, it really is natural ability to not only execute the moves, but to make them entertaining too.

Gideon,
If you read your own posts above and below mine you will realize that you have made my point.

Frank Tougas

Can it take years to master a sleight? Hum... Natural ability... You know, I might consider myself a "natural", because I did master some sleights very quickly indeed... But what I realise, now that I have been doing magic for quite a few years, is that there always is more that enough space for improvement. If you add "passion" and "dedication" to "years of practice", you may very well wind up with a person of "natural talents" who learned quickly, and is now capable of doing simple sleight better then everybody else, with a better timing then anybody else... I guess what I am trying to say is that mastering a sleight is only the begining. Time and experience can make you better, no mater who you are.

Have a good day!

Louis Jutras

Can we say that Tiger Woods has a natural affinity toward golf? Or is it years of practice that swinging a golf club is a second nature for Tiger? I mean you look at Jay Sankey, his DL is like flipping a light switch. I'm sure he can do it with his eyes close. And I attribute this to his labor since he was a kid practicing sleights. I think if you have an intense interest in any subject, you'll have the motivation to do it right whatever it takes. And once nail it, it could look like you possess some sort of natural ability to a layperson.

Do you mean "natural ability" as opposed to "synthetic ability"? Sounds like a joke until you stop and think about it.

Best regards,
Glenn Godsey

Can it take years to master a sleight?You must out of your mind Louis Jutras..
I am practicing a DL for about a year now and its nowhere perfect!

Jack it will probbly never be perfect in your eyes. It suffers from what much of magic suffers from, it looks unnatural. The fatal flaw is in order for it to be a DL you can never just take the card off the top of the deck, show it both sides and put it back.

Ask any one or a lot of people preferably who do not know magic but are fairly adept at playing cards to take the top card off the deck, show it both sides and put it back. See what they do? We can't AND make it a DL. It is always going to look just a bit funny. Add to that any feelings of guilt, doubt or self-conciousness we may have concerning the move and the rating slides dramatically downward on the perfection scale.

Someone with a real interest, such as yourself, will dedicate large amounts of time to achieve the you want - natural ability or not. I salute your dilligence.

Frank Tougas

I just have a few comments to add to this.

I'm sure everyone will find things that just come easy to them. For instance there are some card moves I can't do for the life of me but I know other magicians who mastered those moves with no trouble at all.

The big point I'd like to make about this is that sometimes it may seem like we master a move easily but later find out just how poorly we did it. I remember when I first learned how to classic palm a coin and they told me it'll take a lot of practice to do it well. I seemed to have picked up on the move very easily. I thought I had some "natural ability" for it. Maybe the shape of my hand muscles or something.

Not long ago I watched a video of me doing magic at a birthday party about 15 years ago. I was like, "Look at my hand! That's a terrible classic palm. My hand looks like my uncles hands that are curled from arthritis."

So what I thought was a natural ability was simply me doing it wrong but thought I was doing it right. Which was easy to do when I was doing it wrong.

The point is we may have some natural ability but we should still make sure we are doing it right. The way that comes natural may be because the wrong way is easier. Not always but look out for it.

Ron Jaxon

My high school has a Conjuring Club, and our club leader was a full time magician/full time German teacher. Last year, he got switched to a new school and my best friend was very upset. At this point, I had no interest in magic. I wanted to help him keep this club off the ground, even though I couldn't even shuffle a deck properly. I ended up organizing this club, and soon I was exposed to so much magic that it was an obligation to learn.

My friend had been doing magic for 6 years, and in less than 2 months, I surpassed him at a very high level. I don't know where this sudden interest came from, but I'm glad it came. In less than 6 months, I was not only performing magic at a professional level, I was doing payed shows for complete strangers.

I went to my first IBM convention after only having an interest in magic for 9 months. I jammed with high paid professionals and I passed for a 20 year verteran of magic.

I consider this a natural ability. I "mastered" the classic pass in 2 hours. I'm still, and always will be, learning the mechanics of it, but I perform it with the speed and agility as any professional cardician. I have a creative ability that allows me to understand an effect in magic, sit down with a deck of cards for 10 minutes, and be up performing as well as anyone else.

Many of you may consider this straight BS, but I swear on the head of my rabbit that it's not. If I were a religious man, I would call my ability a miracle. But since I'm not, I can only call it a Natural Ability.
~Jonton