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I am not sure there is a category of beginner to describe me . . . I am more of a beginner than a beginner could ever be! Sort of like "I know it's a trick, but golly gee . . . that's amazing!"
I am the proud owner of several magic books that arrived in the mail from the magical kingdom of Amazon last week. I will learn to do some magic tricks, I will, I will, I will! So far I've discovered that a sponge ball is really hard to hold onto, that my fingers don't do a great job of hiding things, that the cards are very, very slick, and that it is hard to practice alone with cards!
My ambitions are quite simple: learn to do some things for my own amazement and amusement. I know I could never do anything in front of an audience--my students, for instance! Oh no! But I want to learn about magic and magicians and here I am.
I am the beginningest beginner you have ever seen!

welcome:)

you make me feel less alone cause im also kind of a beginner.. I started getting interested in the real magic a month ago.. and have been practicing with spongeballs and cards.. I dont really like gimmicks, so I try to build myself a performance with non gimmick tricks.. which leaves me with spongeballs, cards and coins ( and probably a million other thing that I havent found out about).

anyway, all these hightech proff, highly experienced magicians have all been kind to me as a beginner.. and treated me as one of them.. so dont worry about that part!

welcome! and have fun!

Hey! Thanks! I know if I practice I'll be able to do some tricks. It just takes work and information. I'm sure there's a bit of talent among the real magicians--can't be all practice and know how--gotta be some talent there. I doubt I have the talent, but I do have a willing mind!
I'm glad I'm not the only newbie in the forum, though.

Hi and Welcome!

Hello Marzoli and truly welcome to TM.
I'm sure that you will have fun here. You can read reviews about magic tricks and determine if they are for you. Though magic tricks are not reveiled in here, there is a lot of wisdome to be absorbed from the threads, for example about performance, better way to do this than that in performance and many more.
Don't rule out the sponge balls allready. You have to practice, practice, practice and by golly, in a few weeks you will be able to master things you didn't dream of before. There are a few sleighs of hand that you don't think you will ever master, but with practice you will be able to pick up just what you need
Books and DVDs are the perfect place to begin the studies. When you watch TV, sit with a deck of cards or sponge balls and do the moves you want, over and over, even without looking at your hands. Just keep a box of your practice items by the TV and pick it up as soon as you put down the remote control
Wishing you the best of luck,
warm greetings from Iceland!

- - -

PS. Your slogan is so true... Be glad you started in magic now, you don't know what you would have missed otherwise.

Welcome.....when you say showing things to your students, is it safe to assume you are a school teacher?

If amusement is what you are after, then amusement you will find!

It would actually be really nice to do magic for your students..
one of the many reasons I want to learn magic, is because im studying to become a teacher right now.. and one day I want to amaze the students..
I worked at an elementary school the last 2 weeks, and did some retention vanish tricks, and multiplying tricks for the kids, they were amazed.. and kept asking for more.. so I said.. If you work hard today there might be a little time at the end of the day

And if you do magic at school, you get a reputation, "The Magic Teacher" and in my opinion thats a pretty cewl title

Hi and Welcome to TM..

Funny you should say what you said.. I first got into Magic properly in February, that is to say.. started to learn properly by reading books, video tutorials etc.. I said I could never really perform to an audience..

Just Tuesday this week I was performing a set to about 30 people from my wife's Uni!! coins, elastic bands, sponge balls, cards and paperclips!!

Its amazing how much you can progress with enough practice.. Just in case you haven't ordered the following yet.. I suggest you begin here.. ( advice passed from professionals to myself )

Royal Road to card magic by Jean Hugard

Jean Bobo's modern coin magic

2 basic but VERY important sources of education. The bible if you will, of their respective fields.

Start with these, a pack of cards and a few coins.. you will be on yoru way before you know it.. and you may be performing to your students sooner than you think!

I am going to start using a video camera and a tripod so I can look at my conjuring correctly. They say you can use a mirror, but trying to do the trick AND look at the mirror can distract you.

welcome

Thanks for all your comments, guys! Yes I am a teacher. And, yes, someday I'll probably try a few tricks for my kids. I teach high school classes and that is a tough crowd, though!
I am proud to announce that I have learned how to do the Haunted Key trick-with a tablespoon. I tried with a skeleton key, but I think it is weighted wrong. However, I did order a key that will look pretty cool if it works and that gave me the idea of trying a car key vanish leading to the Haunted Key trick or a sort of "change the plain key to a fancy key" thing.
I'm having loads of fun with this stuff!

Ya know, I'm probably delusional, but I think that Bobo actually came to my high school when I was in 8th grade or so. I lived in the Missouri Bootheel near the Arkansas line--it wasn't very far from where he lived. And I have read that he did schools and travelled around putting on shows. This would have been in the early to mid fifties. I remember that the magician had a "funny" name and the kids called each other BooBoo for days after the show. If it was indeed Bobo, I got lucky on the only magician I have ever seen!
Regardless of whether it was really Bobo, it was not a great venue for a magic show and I remember he commented that the kids were a long way from him-all the way across the basketball court-and he left the stage and came out nearer to the bleachers! Wish I knew if it was really him-not that it matters, but . . . it's a cool thought, anyway.

Welcome, Hope you enjoy your stay

Hi and welcome. I remember how weird the bikes felt in the beginning when I started card magic. So very slick and all. It felt like I was playing picking up 52, more then practicing magic. Don't worry, you'll get used to the cards and soon you will appreciate the smoothness ans slickness of your cards.
Get copies of the books that I.D recommended. Cheap magic bibles! Most of the people on the here on TM probably own both.
Right now I'm practicing with my cards instead of reading to my exam, you might get the same problem when you have to correct your students exams =D.
Once again welcome to this very friendly community

Wellcome, to talk magic fellow beginer. Hope you like your new books.