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satellite23 Elite user 424 Posts |
Hi! I'm satellite23. I'm fairly new to magic. I saw Criss Angel on TV about a year ago and was inspired. I live in an area where magic isn't that popular, and there aren't that many stores around. I can't drive yet, so stores are almost out of the question. I have to either do non-gimmicked tricks or make them myself. I mainly do street magic. I haven't been on stage yet, but it is a dream of mine. Truthfully, I just don't know where to get started. My parents think that my obsession with magic is a laugh-at, but I don't think it is. I just really need other magicians to talk with.
Also what are some powerful card tricks that get good reactions from casual audiences like freinds and family? I'm okay at sleight-of-hand, like I can do decent palms, double-lifts, false cuts, and so on. I'm trying to learn a pass, but, I'm not ready to perform that yet. Lately, I've ebeen doing "Kaos" and that gets good reactions. Any suggestions would be acceptet! Thanks! |
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othelo68 Regular user North dakota 174 Posts |
Your local library will have a selection of some magic books. that's a good place to get started. if you have some money to spend think about ordering royal road to card magic or Mark Wilsons complete course in magic. If ordering something online isn't for you Most book stores have a small selection of magic book In Barnes and Noble they are over by the games and books about chess.
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konjurer Veteran user Iowa 395 Posts |
You can find the Mark Wilson book in most Barnes and Noble or Borders book stores. There are some really good on-line magic stores as well. I always recommend the Born to Perform Card Magic DVD from Penguin Magic as a good place to start. Starts with the basics and teaches the essentials of card magic. Plus 4 really strong routines.
Find out if there is a magic club in your area. I'm in small town Iowa and we have 3 magic clubs (International Brotherhood of Magicians). One based in my town.
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Clever stuff goes here! |
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Andrew Eng New user 50 Posts |
I recommend Royal Road to Card Magic and Harry Lorayne's book. Anyway, most of us are obsessed with magic! So you are not alone haha.. good luck!
Thus the whole moon shines in every lake,
For it stands high enough. |
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Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
Dear satellite23,
Try the Public Library. They carry Mark Wilson's book here in Saqcramento and many Libraries are linked through the link system here and probably other such federations elsewhere. It's good to remember that a simple effect, well done can be very powerful. If we remember that we are sharing wonder and entertainment and it's not all about us, we will go far. - Mary Mowder |
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CardWiz Special user Charleston, SC 626 Posts |
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On 2010-07-10 11:11, satellite23 wrote: If I was a dead beginner, I would learn: The biddle trick brainwave Dr. Daily's last trick a simple version of Out of this world If you can buy any of the DVD's called Easy to Master Card Miracles then you will have yourself a beginner's act with nothing more than a deck of cards and time to practice. They're step by step instructions to easy, powerful tricks. CW
People have been calling me "Yu" lately. I don't know, must be Chinese.
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satellite23 Elite user 424 Posts |
Thanks guys...when I say I'm a beginner I didn't mean a true "beginner". I know the basic stuff and am moving onto more intermediate stuff. Really, I'm just clueless on how to get my name out. I want to do something, but don't know where to start. I know a lot of small but cool tricks and effects, and I have made impressions on people. I just don't know where to really start. When I say I can do Kaos, I mean I really can do it. I'm not a true beginner anymore. When I say I'm a beginner, I mean I'm a beginner in terms of going on stage for large audiences.
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Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-07-10 11:11, satellite23 wrote: Welcome to the Café! Let's address the parent thing first: Studies have shown that students who do intellectually stimulating activities such as magic engage in accessing multiple cognitive processes, comprehension strategies are more efficiently utilized, and recall and elaboration is dramatically enhanced, thus, your grades will go up - provided you actually do not shirk school for magic Don't get hung up on sleights. Yes, you should learn them, but, as masters such as Hamman, Annemann, and so many others reminded us, the magic happens in the spectator's MIND. Many who are new to the Art will forego an effect because it is "self-working." There is no such thing as a self-working effect. EVERY effect, whether based upon sleights, subtlety, gaffs or any combination ALSO requires an understanding of the PSYCHOLOGY of WHY magic works. Hone your performance chops. It would surprise you at this point that MANY of the most powerful effects in magic do not require sleight of hand. Getting involved in theater productions - both as an actor and a techie will propel you beyond MANY magicians. You should strive to watch as many performers as you can - but NOT for the "secret" but rather, watch the presentation and the psychological interplay that occurs between performer and audience. YouTube is a GREAT source to watch the great ones from Slydini to Malone. Now, as to what I would suggest on your journey in addition to what has already been suggested here are the following: The Tarbell Course in Magic Scarne on Card Tricks Even though you are doing sleight of hand with cards, I would urge you to get Card College. You need not buy all five volumes of the "main" course and the three additional "light books" all at one go. Money is tight all around. An additional word about The Tarbell Course: This is, in the opinion of MANY of the greats as one of the, if not THE most important works in magic. Period. John Mendoza has remarked that if a magician even learned just one-third of the course (it is eight volumes at 400+ pages each) she or he would be so far ahead of most magicians. Shoot Ogawa regularly refers to the Tarbell Course. There are MANY others of course. Tarbell isn't just about "tricks." You will also get great essays and these are still pertinent today. Unlike Card College, Tarbell deals with ALL areas of magic and mentalism. Yes, from the smallest impromptu effect to escapes and grand illusion. It is a work that will serve you well for the rest of your life. Also, the Tarbell Course is not gradated in terms of difficulty, but, I would still suggest beginning with volume one. Also, do NOT get the digitized version as it is the original publication put out in the 1920's. You want the hardbound books as they greatly expand on the course. Tarbell wrote the first six, Harry Lorayne wrote volume seven and INDEXED all seven volumes. Volume eight consists of additional material culled from Tarbell's notes. It is edited by Steve Burton and Richard Kaufman. Even though you are in an area with no magicians, you can still join the International Brotherhood of Magicians and/or The Society of American Magicians. BOTH have excellent magazines. You may also want to consider subscribing to a magic journal or two. Magic and Genii are the principal journals and both will keep you up to date with what's going on in the art and each usually has excellent historical articles, and of course, excellent effects. Finally, and this is FREE: Participate actively here on the Café. You will learn a LOT. I learn something new every single time I log on here. You have access to the best in the art, actual legends like Harry Lorayne and others. Use the Café's search function as well. Many times a question you may have has in all probability been answered - especially with regard to the level you are now. Welcome aboard!! Ahimsa, Vlad |
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satellite23 Elite user 424 Posts |
To Vlad_77:
Thanks a lot! That is a bunch of information! Actaully...I am a great student (don't mean to brag, but I got into high school for free with so many scholarships:) ) and I am involved in our school's stage productions, plays, musicals, and such. I love acting. Also, I had been thinking about subscribing to a journal or magazine, now I'll definitely look into it! Thanks! |
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
I usually recommend Bill Tarr's "Now you see it ,now you don't" to serious beginners. Its what I learned most of my slight of hand from while I was in junior highschool.
You can get it from Amazon over the net: http://www.amazon.com/Now-You-See-Dont/d......6&sr=8-4 As for laughter, well, you can tell your parents that by highschool I was making upwards of $5.00 an hour for street magic and $15 an hour for scheduled gigs back in the early eighties when minimum wage was $3.25/hr More importantly, I am now the Chief Technology Officer of the firm I work for and make $217K a yr + participation. And I got there, in large part, because of the performance and communication skills I learned from that street magic.
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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Harry Lorayne 1926 - 2023 New York City 8558 Posts |
I've written quite a few books JUST FOR YOU! HL.
[email]harrylorayne@earthlink.net[/email]
http://www.harrylorayne.com http://www.harryloraynemagic.com |
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satellite23 Elite user 424 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-07-10 20:47, Cyberqat wrote: lol, actually, I already own that book. When I saw Criss Angel a year ago, I told my grandpa about it and he gave me that book. He was, is, and will always be interested in magic. He bought that book a while back and has now passed it on to me! |
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
Oh... also let your grandpa point out to your folks (more effective if he does it then you do) that all that time your spending practicing your "magic tricks" you COULD be spending like most kids today do... getting fat in front of the TV playing videogames
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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rklew64 Inner circle 1265 Posts |
If it is venue's your itchy to take a bite on, consider county fairs, local events like holiday 5 K run events, library, market, a chucky cheese?. I don't know about restaurants because one has to do more than just cards.
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satellite23 Elite user 424 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-07-13 15:27, rklew64 wrote: Well, actually, I can do more than cards, but those are just my preference. Interesting, though, never thought about a Chucky Cheese. Lol, I used to love that place as a kid. |
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Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
Certain churches/faiths LOVE magic. Safe ones are:
The Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Episcopal Church, Lutherans, United Methodists, Disciples of Christ, Unitarian Universalists, Baha'i are just some examples. If you do work for a bar/bat mitzvah, make CERTAIN you speak with the Rabbi about what can and cannot be done. One to steer clear of is the Jehovah's Witnesses. They forbid their members to perform magic and also forbid watching it. They truly believe it is the work of Lucifer. Some fundamentalist and evangelical denominations in Christianity also share this opinion, so, be very careful. This holds true more for fundamentalists although that line is becoming more blurred. I am Greek Orthodox Christian, so my "expertise" does not lie in the particular doctrines of the Protestant fundamentalist/evangelical cohort of churches. All of this being said, churches, Hindu temples, and many other places of worship welcome magic and are fertile ground for performing. Ahimsa, Vlad |
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
As the spouse of an Episcopal priest to be, let me chime in here. *In general* the Episcopal church is fine with magic. In fact, my last "gig" was my wife's Seminary's yearly talent show
Having said that, the EC varies a lot from group to group and region to region and there *is* such a thing as Evangelical, bordering on fundamentalist, episcopalian-- particularly down south. Similarly, but more formally, the Lutherns vary a lot too. There are actually many different Sinods of Lutheran and they vary from very liberal, to what we quietly call "baptists with booze." In particular, the Wisconsin sinod is very conservative. Moral of the story is this-- ALWAYS ask the priest or minister in charge what their stance and comfort level is.
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
I should add that, some forms of presentation are probably more appropriate for church/temple/meeting house/whatever then others.
A light and humorous act will likely have the broadest appeal. Some magicians actually specialize in "Gospel Magic" which entails routines designed to reinforce and/or make more accessible specific church teachings. My routine for the talent show was loosely Harry Potter themed to go along with a running gag set of skits they have done for a few years about the merging of their school with Hogwarts. Obviously, they are pretty liberal and easy going about their theology and willing to have fun with it-- not everybody is though so I'd be careful to know your market. Goth magic is probably going to be on the edge for quite a few xtian groups and over the line for some of them. Actual mock-satinism is probably not going to play in *any* xtian setting.
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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MagicB1S Inner circle Knoxville Tenn. 1039 Posts |
Get as many books as you can get your hands on and READ. These books don't have to be only on card magic. In fact I would suggest a few books that go into depth on routining and working to the audience. Lots of people know how to do simple card tricks, the key is to take that simple card trick and make it play BIG. Mark wilsons complete course in magic is a great start, as is anything from Harry Lorayne. As Far as getting noticed I would recomend performing at your school, Depending on your age maybe Busking in the town you live. Just get out there and do it. Make sure you have your material down to perfection and just start performing.
"There are Tricks To All Trades.... My Trade is all Tricks"
"An amature practices until he gets it right. A Professional Practices until he can't get it wrong" www.Themagicchest.webs.com bobswislosky@yahoo.com |
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
Yup. The difference between a kid doing tricks and a magician preforming miracles is all in the presentation.
Don't forget costuming,. Its an important element. When I was getting started in street magic my step-dad said, "you need a costume." He sent me to the local tux-shop where he had seen a T-shirt with a tux-front printed on it and a cheap paper top-hat. Those simple props made a big difference. They said "magician" just by looking at me I also had a suitcase on which I painted "The World's Second Greatest Magician" (its an old magicians gag but most laymen hadn't heard it before... especially in the midwest) and a camp stool I would set it on to perform out of. It really is all about showmanship, and no one is born a showman. You learn from imitating others and your own experience. Books that talk not just about the mechanics of illusions but performing will help. If you happen across them you might even try some books for actors. What you are looking to learn is something called "presence" or "stage presence." And the biggest part of that is to project confidence. Even if you don't have it-- pretend you do and no one else will be any the wiser. My last hint is, when looking for books on showmanship, don't ignore your local library. Unlike the internet, libraries have these things called "librarians"... they are a lot less random then google searches Go to the library and tell the librarian what you are looking for and why.
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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