talkmagic.co.uk

I mainly do impromyu performances, the "show us some tricks" kind of thing. So, because of this, I always have some effects with me wherever I go. But I dont have a set "routine" as such, I just go with the flow and work out what effect I should lead on from my last one with as I go along. Should I have a planned routine? And what sort of effects do you recommend for such routines? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

surely by its own definition of impromptu, you shouldn't/can't have a routine ready?

if you want a set of effects you can link together and form a real routine though, think about a theme that moves from big, bigger, biggest in impact...

so you might, as a base example...

peek or force one card and reveal
gemini twins - where two cards are arrived at by two different people
OOTW as the finale...

read henning nelms handbook of conjurers for some good theory and effects that help you learn how to present things in a clear way...

Thanks!

Some time back, I was teaching at a magic camp.
The night of the big show, one of my charges was doing a coins across.
I asked him what routine he was using.
"Oh, I just make it up as I go along," he said. "But I screw up a lot. Hey, do you suppose there's a connection?"
I just shook my head and walked away.
Sometimes, you can't fix stupid!

Peter Marucci wrote:Some time back, I was teaching at a magic camp.
The night of the big show, one of my charges was doing a coins across.
I asked him what routine he was using.
"Oh, I just make it up as I go along," he said. "But I screw up a lot. Hey, do you suppose there's a connection?"
I just shook my head and walked away.
Sometimes, you can't fix stupid!

Laughing my behind off. Nope can't fix stupid, but you can usually laugh at it.

Will you kindly tell us what effects do you carry on you?
Thanks

Theres plenty to be had with an impromptu cards to pocket..plus is you phase it correctly, its a complete routine in itself: colour changes, deck vanishes, "I cant believe you got it there agains", everything.

If you have one in the back of your head, your good to go.

Finneyfollower:

As for carrying on me in my day to day life when I have no forseeable minds to blow away (hmmm??), in general: Just coins for the car park. My thoughts are if you seem to carry any other things with you, such as adeck, or heirloom etc. its almost like your begging for something to happen?
I dont know, just an opinion!

Im sure the mental fraternity are much better prepared as a script you can simply remember and notebooks are carried by most people. However not something I personally am able/would do.

finneyfollower wrote:Will you kindly tell us what effects do you carry on you?
Thanks

I posted this on another thread elsewhere here but I shall repost and embellish

I use the SA wallet from Alakazam and this has enabled me to have a 30 minute act on me wherever I go.

Aside from the routines utilizing the wallets 'assets', I always keep a few ESP cards in there and even some monte cards - and I'm always ready to go!

In fact, couple that with a borrowed deck of cards (or business cards), some scraps of paper that may happen to be lying around and I reckon I could get over an hour out of it!!!

and it's quite a nice looking wallet that everybody sees me use every single day, so it never arouses any suspicions........ and it really does look like I've just pulled off a whole impromptu routine from the specs point of view - which is kind of the point isn't it?

The whole 'impromptu' thing bugs me a little bit - impromptu surely means that, from the specs point of view, nothing has been prepared beforehand. So long as that is the impression you give, does it really matter that you've prepped beforehand? I always remember hearing someone talk about Eddie Izzard many years ago and saying "He just makes it up as he goes along - you can hear all the umms and aahhs as he's thinking what to say". I didn't have to heart to tell them that I used to attend a comedy club about 10-12 years ago and Eddie was the compere for a couple of seasons and, trust me, all of those umms, ahhhs and pauses are painfully well prepared and planned out.

I think it was Robin Williams who said "I spend a lot of time rehearsing my ad libs" - I think that equally applies here!

Sorry if I've rambled.... I was making it up as I went along!


Sean


Sean

Spooneythegoon,
What do you carry on you?
BTW, others, feel free to jump in. My question was directed towrds him.
Some interesting thoughts so far.

Peter Marucci wrote:Some time back, I was teaching at a magic camp.
The night of the big show, one of my charges was doing a coins across.
I asked him what routine he was using.
"Oh, I just make it up as I go along," he said. "But I screw up a lot. Hey, do you suppose there's a connection?"
I just shook my head and walked away.
Sometimes, you can't fix stupid!

I dont make the effects up, just the order they go in.

Both, Ian and Peter make some valid points in their earlier comments; true improvisation is just that, you have "nothing" and you IMPROVISE and thus, we end up with classic bits of business like the Zombie Baked Potato (I'm not kidding... it's amazing what you can do with a fork, napkin and spud).

BUT, in order to reach the skill level of being an effective improvisation artist you must have done the requisite course of study and practice. In my experience that means you have a strong working knowledge of slight-of-hand (for magicians) and various "hands-off" bits should you be a mentalist/mind reader (one of the reasons I stress the importance of being a solid Reader and Muscle Reader).

I know that magicians have a Boy Scout mentalist of "Being Prepared" and thus, have their pockets stuffed full of gimmicks, gadgets and props before they leave the house. Such IS NOT true "Improvisation" but rather, wise planning if you are heading out to setting in which the request to "do something" comes forth. But being overly dependent on such things can neuter you quickly when you show up unprepared and get a similar request. The only solution is to constantly play and experiment with every little odd & end you happen across well before hand...

Have a Solid Working Knowledge of Sleights that can be used with most any common item you are likely to find laying around.

The next step is to work things out in your head as to what you can do with those items outside of showing off your dexterity... while I believe one can have fun doing a two minute cigarette manipulation routine the challenge you face is what to do with a borrowed cell phone or two... perhaps a pocket full of change or borrowed bill?

What can you use that's just randomly laying about, to secretly create this or that gimmick such as an impromptu TT or even a Top-it?

What can you do with a 10-12 inch length of hair and how would you go about getting that strand or two? Is there a common means by which to simply steal out a dark colored thread from off your person or some nearby object?

Nearly 30 years ago I remember a bushy headed bucked toothed, pimpled face skinny guy in Chicago who, in my opinion, was the Master of solid Improvisational magic. His name was Bill Malone and believe it or not, in those days he might have weighed 98 pounds soaking wet. But Bill, like many of the "kids" tied to Izzy Rizzy's House of Tricks and the Bit O'Magic dinner club had a couple of old salts that pushed them constantly, challenging everyone to THINK and be creative... to NOT rely on the standard store bought devices unless we were actually at a paying gig where such things would be more appropriate.

I believe this very old course of thinking is why so many magicians fall in love with Playing Cards and refuse to believe that the general public don't hold the same fascination... or, to be more "correct"... we don't want to believe that we bore folks to death by doing nothing but card trick after card trick.

Before you go there... yes, there are exceptions to that rule but I can assure you that well over 90% of those involved in magic are NOT as entertaining with a pack of pasteboards as was Martin Nash or Michael Ammar, etc.

By all means, know a minimum of six solid card routines you can do with a seriously abused deck of cards... I say this in that most borrowed decks you find at home or in the pub have been beat to hell and back and for that reason they wont be as smooth and easy to work with as a crisp deck. Again, the idea of genuine improvisation is to be prepared to work with whatever is available NOT to have a deck of cards in your pocket 24/7 "just in case". Believe it or not, it actually works against you when it comes to public perceptions.

In regards to classic stuff, you need to know your coins and how to work with those of small as well as large size as well as how to do certain routines without devices (gaffed coins)... or for that matter (since I'm speaking of the classics) being able to do a Cup & Ball routines using the coffee/Tea cups you find at the diner and some wadded up napkins...

My point is to simply prepare yourself by knowing your basics and how to creatively apply them along side certain covert antics that allow you to "cheat" just a bit...

I normally work to a set routine but sometime I fluff something and end up with totally different impromptu effect. I accidentally did a triple lift instead of a double and after a bit of quick thinking ended up with a completely new effect that was better than the effect I had originally planned.

If you have a few basic techniques then don't be afraid to ad-lib a bit (but not as an opener or closer) it can be a very creative and rewarding process.

I usually always carry a deck of cards on me, usually a S******R or Sv** ***I with these you can perform a few powerful effects with nothing more then a deck of cards.

and in all honesty I think its always good to be prepared to improvise, It depends on the people asking you aswell though I mean if my mates kids want to see a trick you can get away with some very basic card/coin stuff but if your at a pub with people who want to see a trick to be more sceptic then actually enjoy the entertainment you cant go wrong with the decks I have named above.

TLS

the few card techniques i practice almost daily with are a tabled one handed DL, and TL...and my own version of the pass, which controls one card to the top, or bottom, or bottom face down (matron)...

with those, which also translate to business cards and similar items...you can make up anything really...its different being a mentalist though, you can bore people to death for ten minutes in the build up to the reveal and by then they just want to see the 3 card monte and some sponge objects

There's little point in saying what I carry with me, since no one but me knows what it is.
But here goes, anyway:'

NO playing cards!

My own no-gimmick Scotch and Soda with my own routine and patter.

A miniature hand for Bro. Shadow's elf effect, and my own patter routine.

A TT for a variety of things, ALL mine and created by me, using it.

And that's it