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Hey guys, im new to Magic.. ive gotten a few instant downloads off Penguin Magic.. and i know some stuff off ellusionist.. such as "Trace Unseen" ive created many effects with that trick, about 99.99% of the time i have performed any one of them.. i have left the audience/spectator puzzled.

I was just wondering if theres anything you guys would like to recomend such as self working tricks, card magic/coin magic.. ive watched a few dvds by Jay Sankey aswell.

So far ive got down The over hand shuffle, Hindu shuffle and the Riffle Shuffle.

Is there any sites/effects any of you would recomend? What else do i need to practice? Any information would gladly be appreciated.

Thanks.

Edit: Links would be appreciated too, Thanks.

born to perform dvd is good - off of penguin magic

couple of books - royal road if after cards specifically, and erdnase go down well as well

I found Paul Zenon's street magic to be a lot of help

"Royal Road to Card Magic" for card magic
"Bobo's modern coin magic" for coin magic

Yes, you should really try to learn skills before rushing out to buy that latest gadget. Magic is an art form and should be treated as such. It is only through careful study will you truly be a magician. Start off learning some simple sleights. The first real card trick most young magician's learn is 'ambitious card'. This will teach you several principles you will be able to put to very good use later on in your studies.

This is precisely the same question I would have asked.

Are there any particularly good online resources that can be used for the newcomer to learn some of the aforementioned basic skills?

Click here.

Mike.

I guess this is helping alot of people out that are interested in learning magic, thanks everybody for the help.

I was just wondering if theres any tricks to purchase for a beginner that makes you look pro =D .. im willing to put in the practice it may take.

(I cant spend too much atm, so im looking to get a few low priced things if possible, i only got around $50 on paypal atm lol.. may sound funny but for the moment thats all i can spend as im still trying to find a job)

Thanks everyone for the help, i appreciate it.

Mark Wilson's Complete Course is a brilliant book to get started with, it covers all sorts of different areas of magic.

Roflsauce wrote:Is there any sites/effects any of you would recomend? What else do I need to practice? Any information would gladly be appreciated.

This is going to sound a tad controversial, but I would recommend that instead of buying any magic books or teaching DVDs, you learn a little and watch a little from contemporary and old-generation magicians.

Watch performance, learn what makes good magic.

Learn what makes you think 'ooooh' and what makes you think 'ughhh'.

See how performance can mask and enhance even the most mundane of effects.

Then, choose a path, and follow it.

I agree with Seige about watching other magicians perform.

Also, I second the recommendation for Mark Wilson's book.

If you're into cards, then 'Card College' by Roberto Giobbi is wonderful.

Contrary to a lot of people, I recommend learning to PERFORM rather than just working on sleights. When I teach, I always ask my students to work on at least one self-working trick. That way, you get the chance to learn about spectator contact, timing etc without the stress of worrying about sleights.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in inexperienced magicians is performing a load of sleights too fast, in a mumbling fashion.

Learn what it means to create MAGIC, THEN learn the sleights necessary to back that up!

Best,

Lee

Michael Jay wrote:Click here.

Mike.

Doh! Beat me to it....seriously this book is fantastic for a beginner I found it extremely useful and it's not too expensive either!

Lots of great advice here. I too recomend Mark Wilson's Course In Magic. There is a wealth of information, everything is so clearly illustrated. I enjoy learning from books and I'll tell you why. When learning off a DVD or Video I find most people tend to perform the affect just as they have seen it done. I remember when the Micheal Ammar Card video's came out, (another wonderful resource) I saw so many beginners performing the effects with the exact mannerisms and patter that he uses. When learning through a book one must, at some point lift the effect off the page and in the process make it their own. Don't get me wrong, I do think DVD's are a great resource, (especially for more technical moves) I just find that a lot of time they create clones.

Thx guys.

Seige what is watching old magicians gonna do for me?

+ Give me a link or something where i can check some stuff out too please mate?


Thanks.

Roflsauce wrote:Seige what is watching old magicians gonna do for me?

Firstly, watching old magicians will make you realise that most of the contemporary stuff being pedalled today is actually outshadowed by the 'old masters' who created it in the first place, whose names are being lost in the shadows of time, marketing hype and instant downloads.

There's hundreds of DVDs and Videos of performances by old greats, such as Canasta, Marlo, Vernon, Ricky Jay, Maven, Burger, Slydini, and on and on.

You'll learn much more about performance, magic and how it SHOULD be done from these guys than you ever will from the 'modern' crowd.

Character, personality, charm, etiquette, control... it's all losing it's appeal these days with the one-hit wonders around today.

Sure, there are some great minds in magic at the moment, but most of the stuff you're seeing is re-cycled—and not very well re-cycled I may add.

We all need our heroes and role models—not to say we should emulate them. But it is so nice to see as much as available to you to get a feel for the way magic has been done by the masters.

Roflsauce wrote:Thx guys.

Seige what is watching old magicians gonna do for me?

+ Give me a link or something where I can check some stuff out too please mate?


Thanks.

Seige has gave you some great advice. As to who to watch.. well depends on the magic you like. Try you tube and watch some classics like Tommy Wonder (RIP), maybe Paul Daniels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFqLvPaQOsQ

watch this my friend. Here is grace, style and sheer skill. You can see the love that he had for magic

And who could forgot this.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrApPgoW ... ed&search=