talkmagic.co.uk

I don't want to start a new thread for a rather simple question.

ACR as an opener, yay or nay?

I do a short 4 phased ACR with a very basic finish, in which an x card is marked on the back "the ambition changes" --> x-card is specs card --> and it's on his back in the middle. All within the theme "How do you control a card?".

You're thoughts are more than welcome.

This thread is pure gold. Thanks guys!

Pen and Teller say there are three rules of magic.
These are pretty much understood, but I'll tell them nyway.

1. Never do the same trick twice.

2. Never tell the secret.

3. Never let the audience see the secret preperation.

Just pointing out the rules according to two of my favorite magicians.

I haven't posted yet, because I'm trying to read up to date cause this is my first time on a magic forum.
But this thread I just couldn't read and just go to the next. I would like to thank everyone for their contribution on making a amateur magician see a new path, a new chapter of his passion. I've always was alone in this, for obvious reasons noone to ask help or talk about because noone I know does magic. Intrest is solely for the secret arround here.

What I wanted to say is, thank you so much for letting me discover this forum and its existance. This thread is what every starting conjurer needs.

Greetings from the Netherlands.

Imran,
Card enthousiast, amateur magician.

My tip:

Unless you perform only for magicians, don't spend ages trying to work out if a double undercut false reversed injogged Elmsley side steal pass is better than a Hindi reverse outjogged Erdnase top change.

The effect on the audience is exactly the same, regardless of the method you used. To them you just performed some magic !

Spend your time concentrating more on the timing, presentation and building up the tension.

Learn how to control the audience and you can get away with the most blatant card manipulations right under their nose.

Ok, I am a beginner in magic so this tip may be complete and utter tosh, but don't over-practice! Yes, I'm aware how silly that sounds, but I used to be very nervous about performing magic. So, I'd keep practicing and practicing until I could perform it with my eyes closed (by the way, this effect was almost self working!), yet I still practiced, and wouldn't perform until I was "ready", but of course I didn't know what ready meant, and I soon realised, when I was asked for a trick and began making my excuses, that I had over practiced, so I just went ahead and did it. It went perfect, as I had practiced to the best of my ability, but I had waited too long. It would, of course, have been perfect if I'd performed it a month earlier!

Superb post, would like to contribute imparting that reality itself is the biggest trick...use it in your favor and don't fight it at all...magic is only a change on the uttermost view of the accepted convention called "the reality" and above all rejoice greatly and always with such capability of bending one's reality on different dimensions...this is the real magic within...

I've studied martial arts for many years - much longer than i've studied magic.
I gained a great knowledge of martial arts. however when i started teaching it i realised i knew very little, and my own learning increased and my own technique improved massively through trying to teach someone else.
i started to understand it on a deeper level.

Perhaps once you have gained a high level of competency with your magic you could try teaching someone. Even if it is on forums like this, trying to help someone else gets you thinking deeper about what you are explaining, watching someone struggling to perfect something might help you realise a way of making it better for them and for yourself.

for several years now i've been helping a young (15 yr old) cousin, who was performing magic prior to me helping him. and i must say i've started to look at magic in a much deeper way, i used to practice and perfect the sleights and the tricks and paid very little attention to the actual performance aspects,
and since helping my cousin i've become aware of this, i've become aware of my own weaknesses while trying to help him overcome his.

I'd honestly say that teaching martial arts has taught me more than learning martial arts ever did.
I'm beginning to see that this applies to magic too (and perhaps other areas of life?)

Love the post above.
Teaching needs (usually) speech, and speech/talking means you have to THINK about what you are saying, and you tend to condense what you say.

That's why my "Tip" is ALWAYS write out your patter, and rehearse it OUT LOUD. That way you will suddenly hear what the audience hears, rather than hear what you want them to, or think they will hear. There's a huge difference between what we think we are saying, and what people actually hear.

At that point you can start to distill your performances into something powerful and interesting, rather than the patter-balony that most people serve to their audiences.
Bruce

Very good tips. I believe that, applying them one can make very quick progress.
And I think Mandrake idea, to release bigger 'guide' for wider audience is great. The difficulty would be to really organize it.

Tomo wrote:Brilliant post!

I'll add:

Never EVER perform a trick (whether it's magic or mentalism) exactly as it says in the instructions. Always change and mould it to suit how you are, rather than changing you to suit it.

i agree i got the disapearence by jay sankey a year back and took buits from it for the trick and changed other while keeping the effect the same just easier for me to perform

very nice post thanks

no problem

Thanks for all the great advise everyone. I've added this to fav's

See BrucUK Fri May 2011.
I think this is one of the best tips to improve your performance I have come across. However may add it might be even better to record your patter. To hear your own voice can be a revelation.