talkmagic.co.uk

Sorry!
Just realised I'd posted a few times without introducing myself! Anyway, I'm a newbie. Just rediscovered my childhood love. Interested in all types of magic at the moment, though I'm focusing on close up. I've got Bobo and Card College books and been practicing the past few months. Talk about obsession!

Quick question. I got offered some tuition with a magician. Is it worth it at this stage? Or should I wait a few months(years!?) untill I have mastered a bit more? Its quite expensive too(£55 for 1.5 hrs) and the only reason I'm considering it, is that it would be nice to have someone's help for little things(eg. how to do classic pass silently, etc) that I can't seem to 'get' from the books.
Also, I don't really know how I'm meant to judge this guy as I have no idea on his credentials(met online). He could be really bad and teach me some bad habits!

The other option is to join a magic club that will take a beginner. Any recommendations for the London area? I live in North, work in South!

Thanks all!!!

J

London, UK[27:EN]

Hey Jnote, the idea of tuition with a magician is a hard one. There aren't many magicians willing to randomly take on pupils, and giving away all their secrets, if their any good.
I would personally wait until you have seen him perform somewhere, and see the audience size/reaction etc.

Secondly, the idea of joining a magicians club is a good one. Me and my friend David (also on the forum), occassionally meet up at Davenports to discuss all things magic, and then go for a coffee somewhere. Its like a very very very smalll begginners magic club! PM me, and you would be more than welcome to join us!

Keep practising, and voice any queries, complaints or reviews on the forum!

Best of luck to ya!

Welcome to TM, it's up to you with that tutor. Personally I'd say to stick with the books for a now and learn the basics, you'll then get much more out of a one to one session.

Thanks,
I'll probably just wait for a while then till I have a few more of the basics learnt!

I wouldn't go for a tutor on your magic.

However I to have been a victim of googling stuff like "How to do (insert trick name") for ages and never getting an answer.

Like Wild Card said, you will probably not get a magician to teach random people all their secrets, we know your into magic, but from his point of view, your a random person who might pay to learn some tricks.

Welcome

Forget the tuition, magic is about a lifetime of study, no matter where you start out. Study the material that you have.

Thanks guys,
Just to clarify, I don't want to pay someone to learn tricks, just looking at getting a helping hand and improving what I'm learning from the books. For instance, little handling things like the classic pass example mentioned in my op.
Anyway, shall keep at it and hopefully meet some fellow magicians and get some tips along the way!
Cheers!

If you are serious join a magic club, watch and see how others do different slieghts, check with the books (like Card College) and videos to see if you have learned the right handling of the slieght. Roberto Giobbi said in CC1, you can better understand the impact of the slieght, in the context of a trick. Learn the basics first, hang out with other magicians that will be objective about your perfomances. Once you feel comfortable with that and you want to do more advanced stuff, then consider taking some lessons. A good teacher will point out your bad habits in a kind way and help you smooth them out. In any case, welcome to TM and enjoy magic and your associations in the magic community.
Cheers
Al

books books books

Theres more than enuff knowledge in Royal road to card magic to keep ya going for years

Welcome jnote!

To be frank (one of my middle names ) you'll probably be better off learning from books and videos/DVDs, the card college series you have is one of the best introductions into magic and will teach you all the fundaments and more!

I found the sense of achievement after three months of practising the pass or a one hand top palm and finally nailing it every time was an awesome feeling.

Having someone 'show' you how they do it isn't going to reduce the amount of practise you'll need to put in, and what works for one person may not work for the next. I find magic to be a personal thing and that certain techniques are a 'knack' that cannot really be taught.

So in a word practise, practise, practise and then practise some more. Then keep practising and when your hands hurt take a break, and then get back to practising again.

I found myself watching TV with a deck of cards in my hands and repeated the moves over and over until they became second nature (I still do this now!). Start slowly and work on getting the technique right, never try to rush the effect, the speed will come naturally over time as your hands 'remember' the movements.

There really aren't any shortcuts to good card handling I'm afraid, sure you can stick to self-working trick and simple stuff but where's the fun in that?

I really hope that these comments help you and that you enjoy your new found passion!

Thanks!

Just to say, i started out with magic tuition and it worked a treat for me. Although the difference was the magician who taught me had no other students, was far cheaper and lived a 10minute walk away from me. He also was very dedicated to helping me, regularly checking up on me seeing how i got on with certain sleights. He was also very keen to go to the pub ...that always helps ofcourse

Maybe i just had an awesome tutor ?!

Why pay someone when you have access to some good books and there are a lot of helpful souls on here who have a wealth of knowledge between them which should answer any query you have?

I certainly wouldnt be where I am with magic if it wasnt for having a tutor...

Maybe i its just me who learns better that way ?!

If your goal is to become a full time pro, there are many aspects of magic that need addressing. Books and videos help but, you don't get any feed back on your performance. I belong to a few magic clubs and you see alot of different interpretations of how slieghts are to be done and some of the bad habits that are hard to break. A good teacher is an asset, think of all the tricks that are in a drawer somewhere that you could have avoided buying in the first place. Learning good routines, transition moves, theory, psychology, presentations, voice and costuming are just a few things to consider. Video tape your practice sessions so you can go back and critique your performance. We all have our goals to reach and have different time tables for success, so go at it at your own pace.Its not how many tricks you know but, how well you entertain with the ones you have mastered.
Cheers
Al