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Brandon Chow New user California 7 Posts |
Asking anyone here... what would you say are the biggest mistakes that card magicians do that impede their performance? I know that many discussions talk about specific sleights, but I'm wondering what other people think about performance aspects.
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Brandon Chow |
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davidpaul$ Inner circle Georgetown, South Carolina 3086 Posts |
Knowing your effects so well that you don't have to think about the specific sleights. There should be no hesitation.
Entertainment factor. Some magicians have to clue. Spectators have to care about what you are doing so THEY have to have a vested interest in the routine you are performing. No one cares about your fancy shuffles. Can you connect with your audience on a personal level????? These are some of the biggest mistakes I see that came into my mind right away.
Guilt will betray you before technique betrays you!
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MRSharpe Special user Never a dull moment with 940 Posts |
The biggest performance mistake that card magi make is trying to learn too many sleights at the expense of performing. Trying to "study" Royal Road (or any other tome, take your pick) cover to cover is one of the biggest mistakes. Anyone who accomplishes that goal, usually ends up never preforming, at least for real people. You can perform lots of great magic with only a handful of sleights, and that doesn't mean you are just getting by either. Use what works for you, but after that magic is about presentation, effect, affect, and your personality. If you want to be a card magician, don't try to be a card juggler or sleight collector.
Custom Props Designer and Fabricator as well as Performer from Indiana, USA
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Brandon Chow New user California 7 Posts |
Thanks davidpaul$ and MRSharpe for your response! I'll take those into account when I perform!
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Brandon Chow |
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MichaelJae Loyal user 281 Posts |
Overproving. Too many cuts and shuffles. " Im gonna give the deck a shuffle, and another shuffle and one more shuffle a cut another cut and one more shuffle". They say this as they're doing it. Absolutely ridiculous. Once again, overproving.
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RogerTheShrubber Veteran user 301 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 8, 2015, The White Snowman wrote: For all but your most experienced magicians (and even some of them, actually), the biggest mistake I see is repeated reminders of how random and fair everything is. Drop that hint once only unless you've got your patter down cold and it's worked repeatedly and without flaw. Any time a card magician tells me more than once how free my selection of a card was, I know it wasn't. Great tricks can be destroyed by clunky, bad patter. |
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Ado Inner circle New York City 1033 Posts |
- they hold a break under the top two cards and bend those cards
- they do a classic pass (I'd argue that most magicians suck at the classic pass) - they look at their hands during the whole trick - they never pause - they say what they do ("so I take a card. I show it to you. I put it in the deck. I snap my fingers." etc) - they do moves they can't do well - they double undercut the deck after a card is returned, and show it's magically on top of the deck - they shuffle the cards in an ACR - they top change right when people look at the deck, either because focus in in the deck, or because the deck is right in the line of sight. (so far, 100% of the performers of 2 card monte did that to me.) P! |
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Wizard of Oz Inner circle Most people wish I didn't have 5150 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 9, 2015, MRSharpe wrote: I love this quote. On a side note, I'd also be interested in Mr. Lorayne's insights on this topic if he's perusing this thread.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
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Yellowcustard Inner circle New Zealand 1334 Posts |
From personal experience and what I have heard from friends is the biggest mistake of a card work is thinking people want to see a card trick. Just recently we was at a function and I guy went table to table doing tricks. all in all he was pretty good. But quite few people said he went on a bit to long and some of individual tricks were to long and to involved.
Enjoy your magic,
and let others enjoy it as well! |
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Harry Lorayne 1926 - 2023 New York City 8558 Posts |
I, too, fully agree with MR. Sharpe, Wizard. Couldn't have said it better.
[email]harrylorayne@earthlink.net[/email]
http://www.harrylorayne.com http://www.harryloraynemagic.com |
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jmbulg Loyal user Belgium 208 Posts |
Underestimate the effect of simple tricks on layman and aim at too advanced method too quickly.
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Yellowcustard Inner circle New Zealand 1334 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 11, 2015, jmbulg wrote: underestimate the effect of a simple trick on laymen. I would add to this the more complicated it is to the magician dose not translate to begin more wow to the viewer.
Enjoy your magic,
and let others enjoy it as well! |
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terryisaacs Regular user 110 Posts |
This statement might be a bigger problem for beginning card magicians. I think card men/women can fall in love with learning sleights rather than perfecting tricks or even perfecting sleights they already know. I've met a couple guys that know tons of sleights but do none of them well. Which also makes their magic suffer. Their knowledge is super broad but understanding of the moves and magic has no depth. They know a number of tricks but perform most badly.(Fyi I struggle with the above mentioned of loving sleights and not practicing tricks. I am a hobbyist not a professional.)
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
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Terrible Wizard Inner circle 1973 Posts |
Don't know about others, but here's a load of mistakes I've made:
a) trying to learn something from youtube b) trying to cajole people, especially family, into seeing a trick c) fluffing a sleight because of a lack of practice or nerves (showing something too soon) d) getting disillusioned or upset at something and laying off magic for a while e) fidgeting with cards during a trick f) trying to narrow down my list of tricks before I was experienced enough to even pick effectively g) going on too long h) trying to do a trick in a situation I wasn't comfortable with, and messing it up because of that I) spending money on something which turned out to be rubbish j) not working on a script before performing a trick |
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DaveGripenwaldt Elite user 487 Posts |
Off the top of my head I’d say one of the biggest problems (and not just with new card guys) is “play-by-play” patter. They just say what they are doing while they do it as opposed to using the patter to move the plot along, create interest and create moments of magic. Almost EVERY newbie does this unless they are intercepted by a more mature performer.
In fact, that’s a big mistake right there – new magicians don’t realize that magic is only inherently intriguing, not inherently entertaining. The real entertainment comes with premise, interaction, theatre, organic/realistic/normal props (what the hell is a Hot Rod?), etc. In other words, the entertainment has to be imported, not just assumed. Finally, I’ll probably get called on this, but my pet peave is doing magic with “cards-as-objects”. In other words the effect has nothing to do with the use real people have for cards, which is playing cards. So magicians link them, float them, tear them up, etc., with no justification other than, “look what I can do”. I like seeing a card trick and thinking about what other object might make more sense to use for that effect. For example, card to wallet might make more theatrical sense if money, a business card or a spectator’s license flies to the wallet be cause that’s what goes in most spectator’s wallets. Why float a card if you can float something belonging to an audience member? Just a thought… |
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pjpastir Regular user 117 Posts |
Hi Dave,
"Just a thought" Good thoughts Best Regards Paul |
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johnstu Regular user London 161 Posts |
I can tell you one of the biggest mistakes card magicians make when giving advice: Assuming the reason they are into magic is the same reason anyone should be into magic.
There is room for all sorts of people in magic and whatever you or anyone esle gets out of it is fine. Anyone who wants to be a move monkey, go ahead; anyone who wants to be a cardist, go ahead; anyone who wants to be a public performer, go ahead; anyone who just likes sitting in their room practicing or devising without any intention of performing piblicly, go ahead. Magic can accomodate all of these types and all can help the art grow. We shouldn't judge how other people choose to enjoy their magic. |
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
I'm sorta in the YellowCustard camp here and prefer not to do card effects mixed with any other magic effects. A personal bias.
I have read with interest various posts over the years on how spectators appreciate and even ask for card tricks, especially in table hopping'strolling. This is interpreted as a preference by the general public for card magic over other types. I think this is an unjustified leap of logic. Peoplemay be more "entertained" by card tricks than other magic, but not because it is better magic. Most everyone learned a card trick or two as a kid. They "know there is a trick involved" and therefore can avoid any "must be magic" dilemma. There is also a predictable end to most card effects, so if the observers ar einterupted they can say "yes" to cards and not pay close attention. So, perhaps the biggest mistake is confusing apparent popularity of card tricks with enthusiasm for magic. I love certian card effects and practice some even with crippled hands -- but have no intention of performing them in public. On the rare occasion I chose to perform the last thing I want is for an observer to think "trick." Kudos to those performers who can make a series of card effects entertaining and mystifying. That takes work on presentaion skills as well as sleights or picking a good packet trick. I may be wrong, but too many new performers seem to like card tricks because they are easy, and confuse applause with appraciation -- where the applause may come from your being done. Thanks for the comments johnstu. I am working on some card effects for magicians with only one hand. Creativity is my source of enjoyment.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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TheRaven Special user 597 Posts |
Failing to entertain their audience and instead just showing them a card trick.
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Rob P New user Guilderland, NY 13 Posts |
Wow, this thread is full of good points. Thank you all for your thoughts and wisdom.
Terrible Wizard, you mentioned "a) trying to learn something from youtube" as a mistake you made. May I ask why or what you encountered that made it bad? I have used youtube a few times to see things that just did not make sense to me in books and it worked out ok. There is a lot of junk out there, but some good stuff too. Maybe it's just my personal learning style or specific topic. |
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