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dpmaki New user 4 Posts |
This coming weekend I have my first private lesson with a semi-pro magician in my area. I've been into magic since I was a young kid, and have learned a number of things on my own, but feel I can really develop from some private lessons. With that being said he asked if I wanted to start off with coins or cards - I want to progress in both areas. I'm very green with both mediums and wonder what you all think about the benefits of starting with one over the other. Over the past month I picked up a sponge ball set as well as cups and balls and have been learning some vanishes, takes with those and believe that many of those principles are key elements to coins, so I wonder if that might be a good starting point over jumping into cards. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks, David |
55Hudson Special user Minneapolis 984 Posts |
David,
A bit ofa personal preference question you are asking, but since you have started with cups and balls, that is a great place to learn fundamentals of magic. Coins are a class of small objects, like balls, bottle caps, etc, and many of the skills are transferable . If you start lessons with coins and work on the cups and balls, that would be a good combination. I highly recommend Michael Ammar's 2 DVD cups and balls set as a reference. Good luck. Hudson |
volto Special user 603 Posts |
Sounds like you already have some skill in handling small objects so coins would build on that. Coins have several advantages - you can borrow them easily, they can be manipulated in a lot of ways, and some effects that apply to coins can be performed with any kind of small object - sugar packets, candies, dice, balls. It's a great place to start, because you can do this stuff anywhere. You could pick a rock up from the ground and do a routine with it.
It's also good to have a few good card tricks you can do with any deck, if asked. |
Yekrats Loyal user Dayton, Indiana 209 Posts |
Pick up Mark Wilson's "Complete Course in Magic" for under $20 - it's a great start that covers both coins and cards, and most things in between!
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Corporate or event magic & mentalism: http://WizardoftheWabash.com |
djurmann Inner circle thinks time to practice and stop writing 1481 Posts |
The way I would look at it is this...not cards or coins but rather which effects/sleights do I find hardest and which I cannot learn easily from a book/DVD?
Also have you considered asking less for sleights but more for guidance on performing and routining? |
Mr. Mystoffelees Inner circle I haven't changed anyone's opinion in 3623 Posts |
For pure close-up work, I would advise coins as so many above have. In addition to all the benefits mentioned already, there are way too many magic wannabee teens out there exposing cards, not to mention uncle ed with his card "tricks". The world of coin magic is vast, with all levels of skill- a lifetime of fun.
If you decide on performing for larger groups, think about rope as your next genre. Rope work can be fun, amazing and seen by people in the third row... Good luck! Jim
Also known, when doing rope magic, as "Cordini"
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Jeff Kellogg New user Boston 52 Posts |
My opinion is to stick to coins in the beginning- learn them for years.
2 reasons: 2.) handling cards all the time makes you handle cards like a magician- the less you touch a deck of cards- and the worse you handle them- the better your card magic will appear. So don't worry about learning card tricks- and you'll ironically be a better card magician! 1.) Coin magic teaches better direction of attention, and that is what is most applicable to all areas of magic, and what will help you more in the long run. |
davepb New user 12 Posts |
Lots of good advise, so I will throw in my thoughts.
Very often when a magician, or would be magician pulls a pack of cards from their pocket, you can hear the groan a mile away. Especially if they happen to be using a gimmicked deck, Svengalie (short and Long) or tapered deck. These are available in most $2 shops and toy stores. (At least they are in Australia). Learn some good card slights from your mentor, then a a couple of coin tricks. The good thing about coins is, you can use their coins, this makes it personal. It is their money (Or at least in some cases they think it is) that the miricle they are seeing happens to. In my opinion yoy would be far better to have your mentor teach you a couple of good card tricks, then a couple of coin tricks followed by as Jim suggested a rope trick or two. Don't even look at a magic book or video until you can perform these without even having to think what you are doing. Meld these into a short show. Then quit while your ahead, leaving them wanting more. Then and only then will be time to add to your knowledge base. Most people that have just got the magic bug can't wait to show their family and friends their latest trick, the result being they blow it, muck up a pass or slide, cause the coins to talk or maybe drop a rope. Sure it can happen to a pro, but the main difference is we have learned to cover it, and in most cases have an out ready. But, unfortunatly not always. It's a old, old saying, but still rings true. "Practise make perfect" Slow down, you want them to be laughing with you, not at you. Dave, Magic Mountain's Mr. magic. |
vinh31 New user 51 Posts |
I spent two years with coin tricks before I started with cards. For the exact reason mentioned above.
However, if I were you, I would take lessons on areas that you'd already started learning. Then the guy can correct your move and show you some routines, work on the polish -blablabla. Or if you have lots of questions beforehand, then he/she'll answer them. But I take the assumption that you have time at home, and that the lessons are expensive. |
Atom3339 Inner circle Spokane, WA 3242 Posts |
Hey, buddy, Do what you ENJOY! I started with Cards eons ago, doing tons of Harry Lorayne effects. Now I do Coins---a whole different world (IMO). What I know is that if I went back to Cards, they would be so much easier to handle now!
Also, some magicians do both---nothing wrong with that! David Neighbors' mentor was Ed Marlo---a very famous card magician. David preferred coins. Ed gave him the name The Coinjurer! David slays 'em with Card Magic also once in awhile. Another great card magician is David Roth. But you've probably heard his name in context with another type of magic. ; )
TH
Occupy Your Dream |
donny Loyal user Colorado 263 Posts |
Dpmaki,
Welcome to the Journey! Work that Classic P*** and a good Finger P*** until your muscles "know". Find your angles and prevent flashing. Know these concealments and how to go to the pockets when you need to. Use your teacher, you'll advance quickly! ~Magic's an Art Donny
It's not their senses that mislead, it's their assumptions.
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maxpax Regular user Sweden 120 Posts |
I prefer coins to cards but that's just me. It also makes me not puke in my mouth as soon as someone says "let me show you a card trick" which is nice.
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Yellowcustard Inner circle New Zealand 1334 Posts |
Coins are in almoat every contry. If not bottle caps and washers are about. yes you can use every day coins but its surprising pepole don't mind you using a caion with a stroy. I use old english pennies and pepole love them. This is not a rule for every one but my self ffound I needed more help with cains then I did cards. Not saying cards are easier I just found it easier to learn cards from a book were I struggled a bit with coins.
Enjoy your magic,
and let others enjoy it as well! |
solrak29 Special user NY Metro 936 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-01-17 20:50, dpmaki wrote: What have you learned thus far? What is your experience like? Quote:
With that being said he asked if I wanted to start off with coins or cards - I want to progress in both areas. I'm very green with both mediums and wonder what you all think about the benefits of starting with one over the other. Over the past month I picked up a sponge ball set as well as cups and balls and have been learning some vanishes, Why not just master those props that you purchased a couple of months ago. Sponge work and cups and balls are classics and place where you can learn a lot of principals that can carry you and carry over to card and coin work. These principals go beyond the sleights....depending on your mentor... Then perhaps after mastering these item, you and your mentor could probably have decided what to pursue next. As it is in the experience of learning these items that might sway where you want to go with your magic. Either way let us know what you decide and why as it would be interesting...even if takes you a while... Hope this helps...
To Find Me On The Pitch, Follow me :On Twitter
Checkout my pseudo blog : The Sidewalk Performers Forum "I intend to live forever, or die trying" - Groucho Marx |
metaljohn Loyal user Montreal, QC 280 Posts |
I was like you in the sense I knew magic tricks with props and had dipped into cup & balls as well as sponge ball magic. I knew a couple rope tricks and a couple of coin sleights. Card magic for some reason didn't interest me until a magician who did a 40 minute set of only cards that blew me away did I get interested in cards. Once I started learning card tricks and reading some good card magic books, that's when I found my knowledge on misdirection, psychology, presentation, etc started to improve by leaps and bounds. What I learned from stuff like Royal Road To Card Magic, Lorayne: The Classic Collection volume 1 and Expert Card Technique really helped me improve in all other fields of magic.
So based on my experience. I'll say card magic |
Yellowcustard Inner circle New Zealand 1334 Posts |
Dpmaki What did you and your teacher decide.
Enjoy your magic,
and let others enjoy it as well! |
dpmaki New user 4 Posts |
Thank you all for the comments. Spent a couple hours with him this past Saturday. He suggested that I bring the sponge balls along since I was already using them. He also said to bring a deck of cards along - we worked on the sponge balls and he gave me some pointers with my vanishes etc. and we worked through a couple card routines. We are going to meet next month and see how I've improved on the sponge balls and the card routines - we are going to continue there where we left off. The card routine was a very basic routine. He's basically leaving it up to me on what I want to learn. Since I had come to him originally wanting to learn card magic that is where we started. I'd like to learn a couple more good card routines as I'm really lacking in that area. Once I have a couple more routines down I think moving on to some coins would be fun and after a little time with coins I can make a decision on whether to go forward with more coin magic or card magic. I'm also going to suggest that we work with cups and balls too. If I could get a nice sponge ball routine down, some card tricks, a few coin tricks and cups and balls - I'd have quite a bit to work with for awhile.
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55Hudson Special user Minneapolis 984 Posts |
Sounds like a great start. Keep it up, a few very well performed routines will be much more valuable than a number or weak tricks.
Hudson |
karlito New user 60 Posts |
I started with cards and got a bit carried away and neglected coin magic. So I would say my card magic is 5 times as good as coin magic. But now I wish I started with coins...they seem to be more difficult to master than card sleights
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