Bill-Switch-Gurus,

Every bill switch I've seen somehow involves displaying the bill and the fold sequence at chest level. To me, this doesn't always fit the performing situation. Sometimes, you're standing about showing some card or other coin stuff, all which is done more at waist level, and then it seems strange to take a step back and bring a bill up to your chest.

Any visible bill switches you guys know of done more 'card style' with the hands at waist level? I guess a fold and shuttle pass would work, but I was hoping for something more visual.

Thanks,
Jason

3-D Cash

Q: Why do magic at waist/crotch level, instead of including your face and expressions in the frame?

Doing magic "down" makes only your hands and the props important. Doing magic "up" makes you and your interaction with the spectators important.

Just speaking for myself, I've started trying to bring as many effects "up" as possible. Recently at the Magic Castle bar, I noticed that Whit Haydn even brought the deck up to shoulder level when doing a display in his Ambitious Card routine—partly so that a bigger group could see, of course, but also because it placed the card right next to his face.

This seems a big advantage.

Cheers,
Jerry

Of course I would prefer to do the magic closer to my face, when possible. I just mentioned that this doesn't ALWAYS work, especially in smaller groups, i.e. showing the guy next to you at the dinner table, on the airplane, etc. Not that this is a trick I would have to do in these situations, but it'd be nice to know that I could. I've been in the situation before where I was requested to show a bill trick but I didn't because it seemed to odd to step back and hold the bill up to my chest level..

-Jason

John Carney's "Logical Bill Trick" seems to be constructed so that the audience can look down on the action. The bill switch taught as a part of that routine is a good approach for general switching under these circumstances. See "Carnycopia".

Arthur Tivoli, a french really good ballooner and magician made a good version, in the hands without anything else. You can change a coin to bill, card to bill, etc... just with his move.

You can speak with him here sometimes or let him a mail

ciao

I hadn't even thought of 'logical bill trick', good idea Curtis. As it happens, my copy of Carnycopia was bookmarked right at that trick.

Thanks, all

Jason

How about good ol $2 into two $1 trick or any switch using that method. It actually works a little better with them looking down at your hands. Good luck.

It's an issue of naturalness, it seems like. If it changed after folding it, where would you fold it?

The reason I perform the bill switch at chest level is so that more people can see it. If the bill is folded at waist level, few can see it. I don't even perform card magic at waist level. But, then again, I rarely perform for fewer than 4 people at a time.