talkmagic.co.uk

Hi everyone.

First off I'd like to tell you I'm almost completely new to magic. I've been lurking on this forum for a few weeks and have eventually plucked up the enthusiasm (or courage) to register.

I started getting an interest to share a hobby with my son (who is 6) as he is always wanting to learn tricks. However, whilst this is still a prime motivation for my being here I myself have become fascinated by card magic. So I guess a lot of my posts will be in that general area.

Finally the one thing that has already struck me is just how much practise is needed for even the simplest routine. Luckily my wife is a very simpathetic audiance. I just wish her "your palmed card is showing" was a little less condecending.

Welcome, hope you enjoy your stay at TM. Don't be nervous, we're all beginners really, some more than other but yeah we're all pretty much in the same boat. As long as you practice you can achieve anything, and practicing to perfection is the only way to do it. Get your wife involved too, then you got someone to help and help you

Sam

Hi and welcome to TM

Just remember that we all (even the best magicians) initially had to start from scratch and the only way up is to practice. Don't try to run before you can walk though - spend time mastering a few tricks instead of trying to learn too many at once and not really mastering any of them

Hi, and welcome.

Palming cards is a bit advanced for a total beginner, I suggest starting with some self working tricks and working your way up. This should build your confidence with your ability.

StevieJ wrote: I suggest starting with some self working tricks and working your way up. This should build your confidence with your

Have to disagree there. Yes it will help build your confidence up. But then when you come round to doing tricks where you need to do sleights or something similar it will become a chor when you know you can so easily do some self working tricks. Learn the basics of coin, card and rope magic then build upwards.

Hope that helped

Sam

Hi and welcome. I've practiced card magic myself for a little less then a year and still can't palm cards. I'm still working on other basics and start practicing palming later on. I recommend you start by practicing some of the more basics sleights first (which can be just as powerful as palming). Enjoy the forum mate...

Welcome! Sorry that my responce is on the long side, but I feel it is important for me to communicate a few things that has helped lift my own magic to a different level.

If you just started in magic, please do not attempt to palm
cards. There are many other slights that are more appropiate to learn for a beginner. The key is to learn a few effects (and slights) to a level where you can perform them in your sleep. Also, by performing the same restricted repoitoire for various spectators your presentation skills increase.

Let me give you one example (I could give you many) of how practicing and performing the same effect over and over again can help improve the spectators reactions.

Some years ago I included on my repotoire an effect I am very proud of. It is based on an effect by Chad Long, but my version (that involves equivoque) is in my mind an improvement (sorry for not being more modest). In the effect the spectator is being asked to copy the way the magician mixes and cut the cards. The spectator even has a number of free choices of which pile to work with. In the end after of some quite convincing mixing procedures all 4 aces (4 kings) appears on top of the spectator's packets, while the kings (aces) appears on top of the magicians piles.

I always got a stong reaction on this effect and it is still on my repotoire. However I noticed that after having performed the effect at various situations (maybe for a month) the responces I got tended to be significantly stronger. Since the effect is quite easy to perform, and my patter was more or less unchanged this puzzled me. Well I always got a strong responce but in the beginning it was moderate amazement while after a while it ended up being true genuine amazement. No way...This is not possible... etc are now common responces.

So what happened? Well, by performing the effect so many times I occationally discovered minor improvements of my handeling, that turned out to be crucial for achieving a stronger response. As a start I performed a few other effects (that did not disturb the setup of kings and aces). These effects (including a triumf routine) all helped convince the spectator (unconsciously) that all cards were genuinly schuffled and there was no prearranged setup. Furthermore, by performing the effect so many times I got a much better feeling for how best to instruct a given spectator to create the illusion that it does not really matter how he/she shuffles the cards. In the end they percieve it as if they more or less shuffled the cards themselves and had a number of free choices where each wrong decision completely would have ruined the effect.

It is a bit frustrating to write this without being more specific, but I am not allowed to (and do not want to) revial the secrets of the effect. However the bottom line is that the minor changes I made in my handeling of the effect unconsciously changed the spectators perception dramatically.

Had I just rushed from one effect to the next I would never have learned to perform the effect propertly.

Hope this long piece is not to off putting. The bottom line is that instead of learning 100 effects (or 100 slights) it much better learning a few effects (slights) well to perfection.

Anyway welcome to talkmagic. I hope you will enjoy....

Sir_Digby_Chicken_Ceaser wrote:

StevieJ wrote: I suggest starting with some self working tricks and working your way up. This should build your confidence with your ability

Have to disagree there. Yes it will help build your confidence up. But then when you come round to doing tricks where you need to do sleights or something similar it will become a chor when you know you can so easily do some self working tricks. Learn the basics of coin, card and rope magic then build upwards.

Sam

I simply meant doing a few self working tricks to get started then moving on to basic sleights and building it up from there. learning sleights first of would be more of a chore and could put people off continuing any further with magic.

Welcome to TM, some very good advice above so I wont repeat it.

This is a very helpful and friendly place, I'm sure you'll find alot of help here.

Hey, wellcome to Talk Magic. CAN'T WIAT TO SEE YOU ON THE FORUMS

xpyre wrote:I just wish her "your palmed card is showing" was a little less condecending.

Welcome to the forum.

The advice on palming in The Royal Road to Card Magic is exceptional. I've spent many hours palming the rules to Texas Holdem whilst watching TV. If you follow the bit about the way it feels to the letter, you'll know if it's wrong without looking.

Your words are full of wisdom.

I've been reading quite a lot and I realise that the important thing is not to run before you can walk.

In truth I'm not bad with cards... a true mispent youth playing a lot with various games usually for money.

I usually can do quite well, quite quickly... e.g. I've got my one handed riffle shuffle sorted (flashy, useless but I wanted to learn it.)

I guess the most important things that I lack are knowledge of angles, and the casual patter to go with the moves. So at the moment this is what I'm obsessing on.

I know that I need a mirror and to perform in front of people... My first real attempt at a "show" is boxing day in front of the kids and in-laws... no-one is expecting too much thankfully. So a quick run through ambitious card (mainly sticking to double lifts and a few other effects just to misdirect is all that I'm practising at the moment... the palming is on the back burner.)

Anyway, thanks for making me feel welcome.

Welcome to the board!!!!

Congratulations at getting into the art of magic. It will give you great enjoyment and kill all your time!!!

On palming, I'm not too bad at it but my confidence is not that good at doing it in front of people so I tend to leave it out of my tricks unless I am in a zinger of a mood and everything seems to go right!!!:)

I say it is better to know only a few tricks well than a lot of tricks badly! ( Oh, OK!!! I know I pinched that one!!! But it's true!!!!)

"your palmed card is showing" was a little less condecending.

"Yeah.... well so's your big fat greek ass" LOL..... or maybe not.....

Welcome.... Soren is right.... some good words of wisdom there.

Hello x and welcome to TM.
Where in the world are you?
Best greetings from Iceland!