talkmagic.co.uk

Hey all,

I've been interested in magic for years but it's only recently that I realised that it was actually possible to "learn" it. I thought all you could do were those lame little number tricks that everyone could work out - saw David Blaine and thought he must be demon possessed or something!

So now I'm wanting to learn as much as I can. There are so many realms that I want to get into (mentalism, coins, cards etc) but I'm just going to concentrate on 2 main things to start with for the first few months: cards and a little bit of PK stuff.

For the cards stuff I don't want to do any of that cheating stuff where the you have to use your own deck, I like the idea of being able to take my mates deck and just do some cool stuff with it. After reading few quite a few threads on this forum I've thought about getting Born to Perform? What do you think? I'm a complete beginner, to be honest I even struggle to do a normal shuffle at the moment so would this be suitable for me?

As far as PK stuff is concerned, I know it seems a bit gimicky but I've been hooked on the idea ever since I saw a PK ring in action, probably going to get the Wizard professional edition cos of the extra routines included. Has anyone any other suggestions? I don't really want to fork out loads of money and get something like an M5 when I can't even do the most basic thing yet.

There are a few Sticky posts around here that will give you the run-down as to what you need to look at in each area of study. In that you are essentially a virgin I'd suggest you start with the Mark Wilson Course in Magic and the Tarbell Course. Both will give you a very fair overviewl of the craft covering everything from basic manipulation and close-up magic to Mentalism, Escapes and Grand Illusion. From there you will be able to cultivate an idea as to which direction you feel fits your personality and character best and move slowly into that field. Bear in mind that what we want to do (what we like) isn't always the field we are best suited to work in. Few realize this and find themselves spinning their wheels for years (I know I did... I wasted 25 years of my life trying to frame a big illusion show and do the big commercial tours and got nowhere but broken, broke, and a bit nuts... seems like it only took a month of doing Bizarre & Psychic type stuff and people started knocking the doors down to book me... )

So, rule #1 is get a good idea of what the bigger picture is then move into the area you feel you can work best in. Take you time and don't get overly eager to dive into the "trick of the month" hype (which is presently GHOST VISION) LEARN THE BASICS FIRST! When all the jerks at the magic clubs laugh at you for not knowing Healed & Sealed, that's perfectly fine... most of them haven't a clue what you're learning in those older tomes... learn as much as you can and start doing it, you'll blow their minds!

I have a student that lives in the Memphis area that learned a particular routine found in Corinda (one of the main "bibles" for mentalism) not one member of his local magic group believed him when he told them where he got it from "because they owned the book, had read everything in it, and it's not there..." Well, it was there and the routine is a classic piece of hard core mentalism when done right. Catch is, most MAGICIANS ignore it and pass right by it... the moral of the story being, take yuor time and learn the older stuff first... it can prove a powerful advantage to you down the road.

Step #2 is to start creating your character and reputation. If Mentalism appeals to you then quiz yourself as to why, find the older resources and see what the old dogs had to say about this craft and take what you read in most of the books composed in the past ten years with a very large grain of salt in that most were not composed by actual mentalist but magicians trying to cash in on the present trend. Beleive me when I tell you that there really is no honor amongst thieves and magicians are theives... we've always been fast talkers and swindlers so be prepared; when a dollar is to be had everyone jumps in and shifts the paradigm, claiming longevity... but that's another issue and personal pet peeve so take it as you will.

As you contemplate Step #2 you need to also wiegh the things you want in life and what you are willing to sacrifice; show biz demands a price if you are going to move into it as a vocation, it is typically a very high price but that can vary based on your own "business plan" and how you plot things out. Unfortunately this is a type of work that does require lots of road and air hours (travel) and many, many, many 18+ hour days both, when you travel and when you get home... Being a workaholic is a big plus

So now that I've overwhelmed you go to each section and check out the stickies... I belive there's one or two for the kids stuff and close up and I know there's two or three in the Mentalism section in that I wrote them. You might also do a search and find on line eZines such as VISIONS on-line or Magic Times, etc.

Dave wrote:For the cards stuff I don't want to do any of that cheating stuff where the you have to use your own deck, I like the idea of being able to take my mates deck and just do some cool stuff with it. After reading few quite a few threads on this forum I've thought about getting Born to Perform? What do you think? I'm a complete beginner, to be honest I even struggle to do a normal shuffle at the moment so would this be suitable for me?

As far as PK stuff is concerned, I know it seems a bit gimicky but I've been hooked on the idea ever since I saw a PK ring in action, probably going to get the Wizard professional edition cos of the extra routines included. Has anyone any other suggestions? I don't really want to fork out loads of money and get something like an M5 when I can't even do the most basic thing yet.

Born to Perform is a great way of starting in card magic. As for PK, I'd say start by getting yourself a Haunted Key. They're cheap, the effect is very strong, and you can play it in a number of ways.

and later on you can use your pk ring to add some more spice to the hauntaed key.

I have the Wizard PK with the additional routines and recommend purchasing one.
It has many uses and as it looks like a normal ring is not picked up upon.

As previously suggested, the Haunted Key is an excellent effect which causes quite a shocked reaction, particularly if you build it up with a very creepy story beforehand.

A lot of people dismiss it, but I have found The Bat quite effective for some PK stuff.

Thanks for all your replies guys, I'm taking on board what you all said and am preparing to enter this wonderful world of magic! Going to get spending tonight, and we'll see where I am in a few months time.

Just a few quick suggestions for your first purchase:

Modern Coin Magic
Royal Road to Card Magic
Born to Perform
Scarne on Card Tricks

If you buy Scarne on Card Tricks, you will want to buy Born to Perform or Royal Road because Scarne teaches you no sleights. I hope this helps.

By the way, welcome to TalkMagic!

Thanks for the welcome! I've gone and gotten myself Born to Perform and I'm gonna hold off on all the other DVDs until I've worked my way through this one - it'll probably take me months to get through it anyway.

Good purchase. That DVD will keep you busy for a while. There is so much you can learn from it and Oz Pearlman is such a great magician and teacher.