I bought a few videos on silk magic, most were similar. Is there a comprehensive and progressive training video on silk magic? Thanks.

Unfortunately, most videos are either "trick-specific" or the same information from different presenters. My best advice is to forget the videos and go to the books the experts use.

Harold Rice was a real university professor who is the real classic for all of the right reasons. Comprehensive training on silk magic by print media is far superior to "trick teaching" via video at this point in time. Seize The Day!

Pros use the books. It is a good decision.

Enjoy your silk magic.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

PS --- Here in the USA we envy your 70s-80s F degree weather today. We are freezing!

You are freezing. It was 19 degrees today and the furnace would not restart after the gas company (thank you very much, idiots), replaced the meter. I will not have a new furnace in until Friday. I am running everything I can to keep the pipes from freezing.

Richard

Richard,

I hope a hair dryer will keep you warm.

I live in Alabama and thinking about moving south!

francisngkl in Singapore has the good life!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Sending you warm wishes Richard.

-Mary Mowder

I'm in St Louis it's a nice 12 degress here, can't wait for spring!

Leland,

Let's hope that you get all 12 degrees at once! Father in Photius in El Paso is having to boil water. The system was just not a cold weather water system.

You know that keeping warm with silk is possible? You don't want to see the video. In real life you would be surprised how many real cowboys own a silk scarf that they actually use. Ask MickeyPainless here on the Magic Café. Warm beats pride any day!

Take care.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

The problem with the books is that the effect may or may not have ever been performed.
I have an effect I came up with which was also in Ginn's book on canes and candles. I tell my lecture people that David Ginn has a similar effect in his book, the difference is that I actually do the effect. A video, at least shows the effect being performed.

Ian,

We don't disagree. But the video is trick specific. Comprehensive video silk training is what was sought. It doesn't exists.

Anyone as deep into the movie business as you have been has reason to champion the visual.

Come see us!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I suppose I am predisposed to the visual arts. Mom and Dad used the TV as a bay-sitting device and it was downhill from there.
I have trouble reading, I start to wander and find myself on the same page for hours.
I forced myself to read a complete book years ago (The War Magician). I absorbed that book. Can't wait for them to complete the movie.

LOL! I read The War Magician in 1983, thanks to a friend at Troy University. I'm not sure it will ever be a movie.

You know that I do agree. Reading isn't the best input for everyone. Take Congress for instance? Perhaps they will have time to read Obama Care during their unemployment!

Ian, you should have heard the talk at LA History on the War Magician. The gentleman separated a lot of the fact from the fiction. Seems that there was a lot liberty taken by Jasper as to just how important he was to the war effort.

But it was a very good read and I am sure it could be made into a very good movie.

Richard

What are some of the books you would recommend?

Francis

The Rice series of books are very good. Some of the effects (using soup dishes for an example) are dated and some were described using 12" silks for small club shows and are not practical for a larger size silk.

The wealth of knowledge in these books are a history lesson for silk effects. Highly recommended.

The Rice Encyclopedia texts are available on a single DVD at a very reasonable price.

Denny & Lee sells the P&A silk videos, these are not progressive videos and I have not noticed these discussed much on here. I have enjoyed viewing these videos though and they probably are a good thing to consider adding to your library. The discussion on the Silk Fountain was pretty good in this series. There may be others who sell these same DVDs, I just have not noticed them yet if they do.

The Duane Laflin videos are good and demonstrate actual routines that are in use before a live audience. These folks have done an excellent job with distribution of these widely available products.

It may be possible to view this material and put it together for building your own progressive assembly of a routine. I have put together a small collection of gimmicks that I have seen in use on these videos and I am experimenting with their use. It seems that knowing some basic billiard ball moves might give you a head start with this work... crossover skills are pretty cool.

The P&A videos are good. The production value is low but the information is very good. Peter was a teacher so he is pretty good at explaining things. I did not know that Denny was carrying the videos.

Richard

The Rice Encyclopedia on DVD is severely faulty due to the fact that the real books (Volumes 1-3) are hand lettered and OCR did not work. Here on The Magic Café, I believed it was announced that the faulty DVDs were liquidated at $10 a set.

Volume 4 is not actually a legitimate part of the Rice set. But they tried hard to make it look that way. They even started with the next page number. However, compare the actual book titles and you'll be put on alert! In January 1986, Harold Rice personally told me why Volume 3 would absolutely be the end. He was an artist. The tradition could not continue for loss of human resources he believed to be compulsory for ethical continuity.

His daughter Ruth is a poster here on The Magic Café. Her screen name here is "Rice". Among other things she has available you would want, if you are serious about silk magic, is the separate index for the set of books. It will save your buying props you don't need if you have the instructions!

Enjoy your silk magic.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

One more vote for the Rice series. Go with the Rice series.

We still have some Volume 3's of Rice's Encyclopedia of Silk Magic, printed by Silk King Studios, in the warehouse. I can get them out with a complimentary Index, noted by Bob Sanders above, to members of the Café in early March. Just send me an email after you order indicating that you are a member of the Café, and would like the free Index!

Kazu Katayama and Yuji Yamamoto have some great silk magic DVDs
http://www.ugm.co.jp/englishugmshop.html

Posted: Feb 17, 2011 4:25pm
http://www.ugm.co.jp/21_766.html
http://www.ugm.co.jp/21_768.html
http://www.ugm.co.jp/21_999.html
http://www.ugm.co.jp/21_1355.html

here is Yamamoto performing a routine from his DVD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WLqx80Jp......embedded