On 2014-01-24 03:37, fringeMagic wrote:
I suppose I will be the first cold voice to say; if you can't find mastery or magoc in Bobo's then you likely face a disheartening "journey" to a compelling Miser routine...
...If it is as simple as comprehension, there is a campanion dvd set for Modern Coin Magic by MagicMakers, instructed by Ben Salinas. This will give you a tangible idea of the potential behind the effects you are reading.

Generally accepted wisdom is that Modern Coin Magic is a practical staple in elementary coin manipulation and theory, but I tend to find it more useful as a reference to supplement the [literally]modern techniques and routines. There is some truly valuable wisdom in Bobo's (concerning Miser routines) because it contains material that is nearly a century old at this point; so find a modern performer with a Miser routine that you like (e.g. Levent) and study his/her stage performance and you will start to see the inspiration and roots of their sleights and subtleties related to the methods taught in the older sources such as Bobo's. Therefore you can start building your comprehension of the material while establishing a practical foundation.

Of course you can also look into the techniques and styles of great coin performers (e.g. Thomas Nelson Downs, David Roth, Curtis Kam, Mickey Silver etc.) and consolidate their ideas to your style.

I must add a great source that has unfortunately experienced a dramatic fall into obscurity; "The Tarbell Magic Course". It is a written "Encyclopedia of Magic" originally written(i believe) around the 1920's; and in all aspects was/is the most comprehensive resource in practically every school of magic...
...The reason I stress this work to you [other than the obvious] is a very detailed description of Miser's Dream, as it was being performed by T. Nelson Downs and complimented by the principles inspired by many of the great coin workers from that period

On 2014-01-24 13:00, Hare wrote:
I've found Bobo's to be a very over rated and a rather poorly written book, from a "teaching" perspective.

In my opinion, it's fine if you already have learned most of the basics from clearer sources, but Bobo is more of a catch all collection of what was popular in it's era, than any kind of learning guide. It sits where it does due to it's massive amount of coin material, and the lack of coin specific competition from this era, and for no other reason.

Hugard's Coin Magic is better, and Hay's Amateur Magician's Handbook is vastly superior in it's clarity, teaching qualities and illustrations. Hay in particular stands leagues above Bobo when it comes to practical matters. Where Bobo is often extremely vague and confusing in teaching specific classics like the DeManche Change, leaving the reader more confused than enlightened to specfics and application, Hays is crystal clear and leaves you having learned these things correctly, instead of you having to say, "Oh, THAT'S how you should do it", when you actually see someone perform it for the first time after having "learned it" from Bobo's opaque and chubby tome.

"Levant's Ultimate Guide to the Miser's Dream DVD" offers a better learning experience than any of the three above works. It ISN'T advanced....it's just very, very all encompassing and focused on the coin classic. It shows you EVERY way the trick has traditionally been handled by the great earlier magicians. Levant is actually skilled at what he is doing, and hasn't just learned this stuff for the DVD- he has mastered the effect in various forms, and it shows on screen.

Not only are you getting a first rate DVD on the Miser's Dream with this huge set- you are also getting first rate instruction in many of the classic holds, passes, and various gizmos that coin magician's use for a host of classic material, because, the Miser's Dream has been performed in so many ways over so many years, that it uses the bulk of "what we do with coins", at least on the stage, making it a way to learn the art of stage coin magic via one specific, classic trick.

And I think this is an ingenious way to learn the art. Instead of saying here is this hold, that pass, this gimmick, it's all wrapped into the Miser's Dream and it's history, which is just brilliant and fascinating.

You get the Coney Island Fakir's fantastic Miser's routine, which is a show in timing in itself. You get Down's "Eureka Pass", as far as I know, the first time recorded well on video- and it's one of my favorite coin tricks ever!

This DVD set is for ANYONE interested in learning coin hand magic, or an important chunk of the history of coin magic. Beginner or expert, it's great, and one of those rare video sets that are so packed with valuable info you can't get anywhere else except old books, that it's worth many times it's cost.

I actually clapped through some of this stuff.

I give it a billion stars- find it, buy it. for goodness sake.

On 2014-01-24 13:00, Hare wrote:
I've found Bobo's to be a very over rated and a rather poorly written book, from a "teaching" perspective.

In my opinion, it's fine if you already have learned most of the basics from clearer sources, but Bobo is more of a catch all collection of what was popular in it's era, than any kind of learning guide. It sits where it does due to it's massive amount of coin material, and the lack of coin specific competition from this era, and for no other reason.

Hugard's Coin Magic is better, and Hay's Amateur Magician's Handbook is vastly superior in it's clarity, teaching qualities and illustrations. Hay in particular stands leagues above Bobo when it comes to practical matters. Where Bobo is often extremely vague and confusing in teaching specific classics like the DeManche Change, leaving the reader more confused than enlightened to specfics and application, Hays is crystal clear and leaves you having learned these things correctly, instead of you having to say, "Oh, THAT'S how you should do it", when you actually see someone perform it for the first time after having "learned it" from Bobo's opaque and chubby tome.

"Levant's Ultimate Guide to the Miser's Dream DVD" offers a better learning experience than any of the three above works. It ISN'T advanced....it's just very, very all encompassing and focused on the coin classic. It shows you EVERY way the trick has traditionally been handled by the great earlier magicians. Levant is actually skilled at what he is doing, and hasn't just learned this stuff for the DVD- he has mastered the effect in various forms, and it shows on screen.

Not only are you getting a first rate DVD on the Miser's Dream with this huge set- you are also getting first rate instruction in many of the classic holds, passes, and various gizmos that coin magician's use for a host of classic material, because, the Miser's Dream has been performed in so many ways over so many years, that it uses the bulk of "what we do with coins", at least on the stage, making it a way to learn the art of stage coin magic via one specific, classic trick.

And I think this is an ingenious way to learn the art. Instead of saying here is this hold, that pass, this gimmick, it's all wrapped into the Miser's Dream and it's history, which is just brilliant and fascinating.

You get the Coney Island Fakir's fantastic Miser's routine, which is a show in timing in itself. You get Down's "Eureka Pass", as far as I know, the first time recorded well on video- and it's one of my favorite coin tricks ever!

This DVD set is for ANYONE interested in learning coin hand magic, or an important chunk of the history of coin magic. Beginner or expert, it's great, and one of those rare video sets that are so packed with valuable info you can't get anywhere else except old books, that it's worth many times it's cost.

I actually clapped through some of this stuff.

I give it a billion stars- find it, buy it. for goodness sake.

On 2014-01-25 19:26, Tom the Enchanter wrote:
and I mean learning absolutely everything there is to learn about that trick