|
|
Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
I forget who said it... Someone here will surely know...
But in what context could it be true? I'm sure you can't do a whole show with just one effect... can you? I've read stuff by Rudy Coby that say's he did his first shows in Vegas etc. with just one 3 minute routine! (The 3-legged routine...) That aside, does this mean that you should have a forte? An effect that you do so well that you are at the same level as the world's best and are known for that effect? What do you think it means?
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
|
EvanSparts Veteran user Michigan 333 Posts |
I think it its a good idea. It isn't quantity but quality.
|
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
It helps to get one trick down before working on another. Like laying bricks to make a wall, one row at a time.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
|
Jim Wilder Special user Birmingham, AL 954 Posts |
Learn one trick well? I don't know about learning one trick well, but a few tricks well is probably the better idea. Jonathan Townsend more or less states the best way to proceed IMO. Learn one trick well before going on to another.
When trying to learn either too many or too many too fast, typically one learns and performs very poorly, and in the end finds out the hard way. I have seen this a few times from local aspiring magicians (typically kids). |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
After you get a clear idea of how you want the one trick to work, and have the basics down... then time to perform and refine the thing.
As long as you don't waste time half-doing tricks where you need to focus on your hands and props instead of the audience...
...to all the coins I've dropped here
|
dpe666 Inner circle 2895 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-08-09 09:46, Pakar Ilusi wrote: This is advice from Vernon. |
Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
Notes:
This is a strong concept in marketing, besides desire and competition. "Do one thing well." "Be famous for one thing." etc...(chocolate chip cookies, bacon cheeseburgers western-style, Viagra...) Well...maybe Viagra isn't appropriate, but if you look at the most famous brand names in today's society...including famous magicians...they are known for "something"...something they do better than all others in the same market...something they do EXTREMELY well. "Do one thing better than anybody else." Is Vernon credited with saying this, too? (In the context of magic...) Tell the best stories...do the best effects...have the most original presentations...dig deepest into the natures of the universe...the list goes on... Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door. Do one trick well...who knows?...potential is limitless. Heck (can I say that?)...do all tricks well. Patrick
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
alextsui Regular user Malaysia 155 Posts |
I think that we should do all our tricks really well. Otherwise they are not ready yet to be put into our show and be performed for the public.
Having said that however, it would be a good idea to have a "signature" effect (No, not an effect involving signatures ). Something that will be linked to our name. For example, Tony Clark and his award-winning dove act, Jeff McBride and his mask act, the list goes on... Polish up one routine so that it shines above the rest and do that in every one of your shows. Very soon, people will be talking about <your name> and his/her <your signature act> routine. So go forth and discover your signature act! Magical regards, Alex Tsui
The Best Magic Effects to Take Your Performance to the Next Level
https://FireBirdMagic.com |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Vernon was a great admirer of "one trick ponies." He would get someone to drive a great distance just to see someone who could do a simple trick perfectly.
Nobody expects anyone to make an act out of one trick. But Jonathan is right about what the concept actually means. You need to learn to do one trick well before you learn a new one. One of the problems with some of the folks I have run across on this forum is that I can tell from their posts that they have never mastered ANY trick. From their postings, it seems that they buy a couple or three tricks from some internet company, work on them enough that they can get through the whole thing without messing up too badly, then they inflict them on their friends. When their friends bust them, they wonder why. The answer is simple. They may have learned the trick, but they haven't mastered it. So, learn to do one trick perfectly. Then learn another one perfectly. Then another. In a reasonable time, you will actually have enough material to call it an act. Sometimes you don't realize how important this is until you see someone do a simple trick flawlessly -- like Heba Haba Al and the sugar cube trick. Or Al Goshman and Spellbound.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Whit Haydn V.I.P. 5449 Posts |
Goshman's Spellbound was the result of taking this exact advice from Vernon.
|
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
That is precisely why I mentioned it. I knew that you would get it!
I met Albert for the first time in 1977. I had a table close to his in the dealers' room at the TAOM. The Professor was at that convention also. So I asked him how to actually connect with Goshman, because Albert was a tad cranky. The Professor told me the story about Albert and Spellbound. It's too well-known to repeat here, but he said, "Just ask Albert to show you Spellbound. Make sure you have plenty of time to spare." So I waited until there was a big lull, walked over to Albert's table and said, "Mr. Goshman, The Professor says you do the most incredible version of Spellbound there is. Would you mind ...?" Albert's face lit up like a cliche in a Mickey Spillane novel. He got out a half dollar and proceded to change it into an English penny. And back, and repeated it dozens of times, without a single repeat of a method. And that, friends, is what Vernon's advice to Goshman netted for him. That, and the admiration of every magician who ever saw him do Spellbound.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
Ah... The Professor... That's who said it...
All great thoughts on this subject... On a more personal note, it shows senior Magis that a new Magi has "paid his dues" when they see that he/she has a well crafted entertaining routine... Even if it is just one trick... Imho of course... Thanks for the replies...
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
|
Werner G. Seitz Inner circle 3131 Posts |
Quote: Hehehe..I well remember re that *do one single trick better then anybody else in the world*-advice form Dai Vernon, as I remember the Albert incident..
On 2004-08-10 02:07, Bill Palmer wrote: Yes, one day at a lecture/teach in at a convention which Albert did re Spongeball-magic, I was *rude* enough to ask him to show *us* his one hand coin change, the one using the Goshman/Tenkai pitch, where the coin is thrown on the table with the palm of the hand *palm up*.. Albert responded (I did know him well by that time) that the lecture was about spongeballs, but he immediately pulled out a halfdollar and did what I asked for..flawlessly and with a *punch* only he could do.. Yes, he was and is one of the greatest explonents of great close-up, and his act was oustanding and still is non-surpassed.. He'll never get forgotten..
Learn a few things well.....this life is not long enough to do everything.....
( Words of wisdom from Albert Goshman ...it paid off for him - it might as well for YOU!!!- My own magic is styled after that motto... ) |
EvanSparts Veteran user Michigan 333 Posts |
Burger says "That when you think you are ready to perform a trick, don't...wait and practice it 30 more days then see if it's ready."
solid advice. |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I have to admit that this new world of instantly available magic has made it very easy for people to become something approximating magicians very quickly.
I see quite a few threads about learning new material because the beginner has become bored with what he or she has already learned. That boredom is just the first step in learning how to do a piece really well. Until you work through that boredom and really polish an item, you really don't know how to do it. You have to get that piece into your blood, your heart and your soul before you really know how it works.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
salsa_dancer Inner circle 1935 Posts |
There are so many subtleties that need to be added to an effect to make it masterful that you can spend years getting the timing right.
I have effects now that I am working on subtleties of body language, communication and misdirection that are far removed from the original premise. I love it when you delve so deep into an effect that the actual effect itself becomes second place. |
jkvand Special user Johnstown, PA 658 Posts |
About 12 years ago I was on Spring Break in Key West, FL, and there were street performers all along the dock at night. One of the performers built a 15 minute act out of "The Broom and Egg Whap" that is included in "The Klutz book of Magic," and his act was the biggest one on the street! He got a bigger crowd, more tips, and greater applause than anyone else there, because he had refined and built up that presentation so incredibly well. It was the only thing he did, and he just repeated it over and over again the whole night. I still remember it over a decade later. So, Vernon's advice CAN hold true in the right situation!
|
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Imagine what kind of act a person has when he or she approaches every trick or routine with the same kind of attention.
If you could imagine that, then you would have Albert Goshman's close-up act at the Magic Castle. Every item was worked out to perfection. It took him years to build that act. And the results showed.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Neale Bacon Inner circle Burnaby BC Canada 1775 Posts |
I had a chance to talk magic with Martin Nash at a recent PCAM and he said "Do one trick better than anyone else...and you can build a career!"
Neale Bacon and his Crazy Critters
Burnaby BC Canada's Favourite Family Ventriloquist www.baconandfriends.com |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Food for thought » » "Do one trick well..." Your thoughts on this advice... (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.04 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |