talkmagic.co.uk

Hello all!

I stumbled across this one on of the Wikipedia pages. This includes a lot of useful information, though it streches a bit far in some terms.
But, I thought it would be interesting for you to read this, as it is very informative.

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OK, first of all you need to go over some rules. Even if you know a cool magic trick, it might not have as much effect on crowd as you wanted it to have. Go over this "Six Golden Rules of Magic" and be sure to follow them!

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Rule #1: Never warn the public about what you're going to do in your act (unless it's part of the plan to fool the public), or the magic trick will not look as great as it could be

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Rule #2: Never show the same magic trick right after doing it the first time, no matter how much the audience begs you. Only exception would be if you know another way to do the trick.

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Rule #3: Never explain the secret of the trick (unless you're not going to use it in your program) to anyone just to show off your "mad magic skills", cause it can spread pretty quickly. If you plan on writing a book "100 Best Magic Tricks Explained", make sure you produce very few copies (5 or so), so that whoever get it are the only ones in their community who have it.

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Rule #4: Never perform the trick if you haven't practiced it enough. You have to be an expert in your tricks and they should be very easy for you. If the tricks are hard to perform, don't rely on your luck.

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Rule #5: Don't be embarrassed if you mess up in front of your public. If you can't fix it without anyone noticing, just play along with your public. Laugh with the crowd as if the trick was planned to be unsuccessful, then move on to the next trick without making any comments on last one.

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Rule #6: Never argue with the audience. If someone makes a negative comment (for example, "I think I saw an extra penny behind your back!"), don't be distracted. Just ignore the comment and continue the trick. Be humorous and only answer public's questions/comments (if necessary) after you're done with your trick.

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To be a successful magician, you also need to have some tricks of your own. No one wants to see an unoriginal magic act being performed over and over. Of course, you should have some (or many) old, famous magic tricks in your act (such as pulling the bunny out of a hat). Public never gets tired of old classics. Here's how to think of your own original tricks: Think of an idea that has never been done before. For example, make strings disappear from a guitar. Then, think of a way to make the trick convincing. Make some equipment, if necessary. You might even need duplicate object with which you're working on. Once you've got all the parts planned out, start practicing the trick. Also, develop a unique style of performing. Don't steal other's styles, cause that makes you even more unoriginal even if you perform your own tricks. It's better to have unique style and perform previously performed tricks, rather than take someone else's style and perform your own tricks.

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Organization is also very important part of being a magician. Before performing a show, be sure to rehearse it many times. You also might need to know how the room you perform in is designed. If you're performing at a party at your friend's house, that's not really necessary. Just make sure there's no one behind you. Your equipment should be made properly. Be sure to check, if everything works. Also, try to merge several tricks together by moving on from one trick to another without taking a break. For example, after you turn a ball into a tissue, make a penny appear out of the tissue; then, make a penny go through your hand... You can use your "magic" wand to merge two totally different tricks together.

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Another part of being a good magician is your equipment. You should make your own equipment. If you can't produce your own equipment, ask some of your friends to do it for you. Be sure to explain all the techniques used in the trick. Also, you might consider making people to help you your assistants during your tricks (You already gave away secret of many tricks to them, so why not make them part of the show?).

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You might also need to have a good costume. A perfect costume for magician is a black jacket, a white formal vest that goes under it, and a pair of black pants that go with the jacket. Jacked should have many little pockets on its inside for storage of secret coins, cards, balls, etc. The vest should have big pockets on the inside so you can make big objects, such as plates, disappear/appear. And pants should have two pockets, one on each side. The pocket should be long and made under the folded part of the pants.

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But the most important part of being a magician is the flexibility of your arms. Start with coin manipulation. It's easiest to master, but is still hard. You'll find links to helpful websites in external links section of the tutorial. Anyway, back to coin manipulation. Learn how to palm the coin on your hand. Find a spot in your palm were coin will stick the most even if you open/close your hand, or turn it upside down. Then, learn creating illusions (like pretending to put an object in your other hand when really its still located in the first hand). After mastering coin manipulation, you can move on to ball manipulation and, finally, card manipulation.

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To perform a magic act, you also need to have some artistic talent and sense of humor. Try to not narrate your tricks (unless narrating is part of it). Be very humorous and funny. If your magic act is boring, no one would want to watch it. You might also want music playing during your act, just to make it more exciting. Sound effects would be cool too.

Tips
Practice a lot. Don't be lazy. Some techniques/tricks require a lot of time to master.
Always follow the "Six Golden Rules of Magic"

Warnings
Never perform a trick if you haven't rehearsed it properly. You have to have trick MASTERED when you're performing it

Things You'll Need
Equipment for every trick
A costume (Jacket, Vest, and Pants)
Community to perform in (doesn't matter how big)
Some tricks
Unique Style
Artistic Talent/Sense of Humor
A Lot of Practice

Wikipedia should read rule three themselves?
Perhaps I'll e'mail it to them

gunnarkr wrote:But the most important part of being a magician is the flexibility of your arms. Start with coin manipulation. It's easiest to master

In my opinion card manipulation is by far the easiest, I can only do a coin roll when it comes to coins.

One of the main points from that list is to have a unique style, don't go out and perform like your idol, too many young magicians go out and want to be exactly like David Blaine or Criss Angel, just take your tricks and combine it with the kind of person you are, as well as influences and other hobbies.

Unique style should also lead into unique tricks, I'm sure that those who have seen "Hit the road", will have seen an example of this.
A young magician was featured in the Las Vegas section of it, in which he had a card selected and returned to the packet, he threw the cards in the air and did a backflip catching one of the cards at random, their card.

So combine your hobbies and intrests into magic, Jeff McBride was influenced by martial arts in his stage presentation, think of it like that.

For example my own personal style is smooth and flowing card magic, with the odd fast and furoius effect incorporated, I was inspired by Dan and Dave for this kind of magic, but I don't copy them. The having your own unique style can help you make unique tricks. Like if I wanted to do all my magic one handed (somebody already does ) I would think of tricks to fit my style of performing.

Anybody with me

I am! There's some good advice in the article, but some of it like:

Of course, you should have some (or many) old, famous magic tricks in your act (such as pulling the bunny out of a hat). Public never gets tired of old classics.

Is popycock. You do what YOU want to do and what your AUDIENCE enjoys doing. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to things like this. In fact, I would say that sticking with the old classics gets the art nowhere, especially the damned rabbit out of the hat which only supports the stereotypical image of magicians.

Yeah, developing your own style can be the hardest part of being a magician. I come from a background of being a "genuine" tarot reader and wanting to be Dr. Strange (:roll:), so that comes through in my presentation and my performance. It by no means a unique place to be coming from, but I think it is a little unusual and certainly helps me to stand out from a lot of other magicians around who may have come from a different starting point.

gunnarkr wrote:11
You might also need to have a good costume. A perfect costume for magician is a black jacket, a white formal vest that goes under it, and a pair of black pants that go with the jacket.

I always find it ironic that this has become the 'accepted magician's costume'. Ask almost anyone to picture a magician, and that's how they'll imagine him. But, really, it came about the same kind of way as today's street (or at least 'modern') magicians wearing T-shirts and jeans. Way back, magicians would appear on the stage dressed as Merlin in big pointy hats and swirling robes, or some such thing. Then, radically, some magicians rejected that and opted to dress normally - that is, exactly as the members of the audience (dressed for a night out at the theatre) might be expected to. I wonder if, a hundred years from now, 'magician's dress' will be thought of as how Daniel Garcia looks. 'You can't call yourself a magician dressed like that. Where's you beanie hat?'

Correction: Wikipedia wrote... as explained in the beginning of the thread

gunnarkr wrote:Correction: Wikipedia wrote... as explained in the beginning of the thread :)

Oh, yes - I was referring to your quote from Wiki, rather than suggesting you were personally policing magicians' fashions, Gunnarkr. Also, now I come to think about how it might be read, I wasn't suggesting that magicians really shouldn't wear the outfit. It's simply the irony of 'the magician's costume' being something that came about because the magicians who originally adopted it were pointedly avoiding wearing any costume at all.

I think i might invent that guitar trick that will be really useful for walkaround .

Fantastic post gunarkr. I was quite surprised at how acurate the 13 points were. I thought it would be some lame suggestions created by some laymen.

I think rule #3 should be replaced as rule #1 however. And I don't think the point on proper attire should be pushed so much. I wear common everyday clothes when I perform.

All in all, it was a great post.

Actually, like Matthew rightly mentions, some of the points there are interesting... but some, in my oppinion, fly over the fence.

As we know a lot of magicians use similar approach, but then again a lot of them use completely different approaches too. There is no mould that a person could fit in and then become the perfect magician. Some magicians use humour, some act silly, some act somewhat sexy and others act cool. There are magicians in tuxedoes and others in t-shirt and jeans. Some have 60's brass soundtrack others play Slipknot.

But no matter what the many different magicians do, they all have in common that they perform magic. All kinds of different magic, mind reading, transformations and illusions, that astonish and amuse the viewer.

Maybe that's the true magic that keeps us going Making others happy

I think thats a good point gunnakr that you mention. One of the reasons i chose magic as my career path is because my philosophy is. If i can make you smile even for a second youll make me happy for a day. That is really true if im making someone smile because of a joke i cracked, a piece of magic, or a donation that i gave it makes me feel really good about myself and as you said thats when the real magic happens.

I don't agree with the statements that the public get tired of the old classics. No. They get tired of the bad magicians that do the old classics. Come to think of it they get tired of the bad magicians that do the new stuff too.

It is the competence of the performer that is important not the tricks he does. However having said that the classics are classics for a reason. They have stood the test of time and I can only think of two which are a trifle overdone. The linking rings and the Zig Zag. However even these two can still entertain audiences if the PERFORMER is charismatic enough.

As proof that the classics are great things to do consider the magic of Paul Rosini and Paul Potassy. They both did classic tricks which are older than God but they stunned and entertained audiences time after time with their showmanship and charisma. I am not old enough to have seen Rosini but I certainly saw Potassy work and he was one of the best magicians I have ever seen in my life.

Paul Potassy got standing ovations from inebriated and noisy night club audiences working at 1am in the morning. He did sympathetic silks, razor blades, torn and restored newspaper and other classics.

Classics old hat? Not on your life! Bad magicians (the majority of performers sadly) doing classics? Dreadful of course. But then they would be dreadful no matter what they did.