talkmagic.co.uk

Can anyone recommend me to the best and most comprehensive ''do on the spot impromtu'' sort of mentalism dvd

22 blows with jay sankey is on its way.Can someone please rate it

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic12705.php

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic2875.php

Impromptu is a state of mind. I like Robin Williams quote when asked about his ad libbing, he replied..."I spent years practicing my ad libbing"

I think the key to Impromptu in the terms I think you mean is just to know your stuff and take advantage of opportunities as they come along. Impromptu should be in the spectators mind in your situation, not yours.

But then, what do I know?

bmat wrote:I think the key to Impromptu in the terms I think you mean is just to know your stuff and take advantage of opportunities as they come along. Impromptu should be in the spectators mind in your situation, not yours.

But then, what do I know?

Quite a lot, I'd say.

Sorry for the terse reply earlier, but I was heading off to do something else. I thought I'd help out with the second part of the initial post.

Let's put it this way, while a jazz pianist might do an impromptu performance and jam something, a classical pianist would perform a piece learned by heart (generalisations, of course). However, even the jazz pianist knows how to play the piano, and how to jam.

You can carry certain items with you, ready for an unplanned, but prepared-for performance. Strictly speaking, that is still impromptu, but generally the term is used in magic to refer to situations where the performer has nothing of use on him.

All you need to do some mentalism is a bit of paper and something to write with, or a book you borrow. There are many options for both. With the former, you could do a prediction, or do a CT routine. With a book, you could do the AAA Book Test, or Tomo's Naked Book Test, to name but two.

You might want to have a look at 'The Unexpected', a DVD on impromptu mentalism. It's got some very good ideas in it.

EDIT: Then again, it is possible that mentalism is not for you.

Could you clarify "On the spot?" Do you mean - easy to learn & perform? Mentalism is neither.

Sounds like you are looking for something like Max Mavens NOTHING.
Many of these effect can be done impromptu with no or only little setup.

I quote from the cover:

Max Maven traveled from Hollywood to Lake Tahoe. He brought NOTHING

but a nice suit. On the way from the airport to the studio, he stopped at a supermarket for less than ten minutes and spent less than ten dollars. Once in his room, he spent less than half an hour preparing, and proceeded to go on stage and do a 50-minute performance of mentalism.

NO Pre-Show Work
NO Stooges
NO Clipboards
NO Nailwriters
NO Playing Cards
NO ESP Cards
NO Billets
NO Wallets
NO Gaffs
NO Gimmicks
NO Special Materials
NO Muscle Reading
NO Hypnotism
NO Threads
NO Mirrors
NO Electronics
NO Rough & Smooth
NO Gilbreath Principle
NO Filler
in fact,
NOTHING but solid mentalism and great entertainment.

Soren Riis wrote:Sounds like you are looking for something like Max Mavens NOTHING.
Many of these effect can be done impromptu with no or only little setup.

Reviews here:

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic14625.php

and here:

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic15475.php

Excuse me... are you wanting to do Mentalism or just learn some magic tricks that kind of sortof look Psychic?

If it's the latter I'm surprised on one has told you to go over the ELLUSIONIST or PENGUIN.. .they sell all the "cool junk"

If however, you want to actually learn how to do real mentalism I'd suggest you start here http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic11429.php and plan on setting to the side a bit of time.

You might also want to invest in some materials from Kenton Knepper regarding the various aspects of language use and subtleties.

Contrary to the belief of most hobbyists and of course the more cynically inclined of the pro-magic realms MENTALISM IS NOTHING EVEN REMOTELY THE SAME AS MAGIC. Few ever understand that at first in that they see it all as "tricks" but, over time the one's that stick it out do tend to wake up to this fact and start taking on a more guarded position about THEIR ART... sadly, some folks think this is an "elitist" thing... it's not, it's just our need to want to protect our side of world and our loathing of seeing it abused by those that have such an cavalier way of looking at it as you express in your initial post.

I might be seen as a "fanatic" on these things, but few here will negate the fact that I know my field. So, if you want to honestly learn about MENTALISM vs. a few cool tricks to show off with, feel free to PM me and we'll see what can be done.

You want to listen to Mr Browning on the above. He is right, he is a fanatic on these things However, he also know's his stuff.

22 Blows to the Head is great if you're just looking for some impromptu-ish magic tricks that involve a little mentalism, but they are just tricks dressed as mentalism, not really the same thing as 'proper' mentalism.

I'd recommend 22 Blows if you're looking for a gentle introduction from a magic perspective, or listen to Craig's excellent advice, and look at the link he has provided if you are serious about proper mentalism.

If you're just looking for some quick, mental type effects have a read of Karl Fulves Self Working Mental Magic. There're some good ideas in there.

I like The Unexpected by Marc Selman and Peter Nardi.

Not all totally impromptu but very little set up is required and the effects are easy to learn.

Have to agree with Craig on this one. But I have to say it does sound rather elitist, and that is because it should be. I'm not a fan of mentalism. There I said it, shoot me. It is not better then magic just different. And I think there should be a sub catagory, and who knows maybe there is, for the magician who wants to perform some mental type effects.

I am never not prepared to do magic, give me a finger ring and a shoelace and I can perform. And yes it is impromptu, just don't mistake impromptu for unprepared. I can go out with a svengali deck and be impormptu. The spectator doesn't know the difference. I may have even planted the svengali deck in somebody's house at a party and then when somebody says hey can you do a trick. I can say sure I thought I saw a deck of cards around here somewhere. And boom that is impromptu in the eyes of the spectator. (Please note, I don't actully use a svengali deck, not because I think they are bad but because I don't like to carry stuff around)

On a personal note, and one I just can't shut up about. I really don't like Max Maven.(sorry soren) He was one of my biggest disapointments in this industry. Just thought I'd throw that out there sorry if I offended anyone. Larry Becker on the other hand who I thought was really going to bore me turned out to be a great suprise, he was wonderful.

bmat wrote:just don't mistake impromptu for unprepared

Now that should be on every magician's wall in very large letters - nice one!

IMHO 22 Blows to the head "Blows"

I wasn't overly impressed with any of it and found the majority of it to be very simply magic tricks with a weak Mentalist angle to them.

I'm usually a big fan of Sankey's work and enjoy his 'individual' presenting style and find it very easy to learn from him as he explains things in great detail and covers several nuances of each effect.

That said I didn't enjoy 22 Blows, that's not to say that other people will not find it useful or beneficial but the material there didn't suit me or my style.

But if you're looking for a few quick and easy mentalist type effects to bust out and impress your friends with this could be great for you.

Ok... firstly, thanks to all and secondly, when it comes to item specifics, I will give a thumbs up to a few things said... the Sankey materials a both, fun as well as affective when it comes to that "sub-category" mentioned above i.e. "Mental Magic"... for that matter, I just think Jay is a nut case and wish he'd do a tour as Boris...

I also love the note Mandrake quoted... it is exceptionally true and when it comes to "mentalism" the genuine bits of "improvisation" would pertain to the skills of being a solid Reader (and that's according to Corinda himself), Muscle Reading and a combination of psychological skills that include the affective use of Forces/Psychological Commons and other word/language skills including dual reality and anagram-based tactics. This combination will arm anyone with the ability to create Psychic-like miracles. Another asset that most over-look when it comes to this area, are memory skills... I do mean legitimate memory/mnemonic techniques not tricks that replicate such.

As you can see, we are looking at YEARS of study and practice in order to cultivate genuine "Improvisational" skills as a Mentalist. This is why so many of us tend to be overly defensive and take so much offense by people that perceive it all as being little other than "a trick"

It is true, Mentalism is not better than magic it is simply a different mode of performance; a kindred art form just as juggling and ventriloquism are, but not one in the same animal as magic. The psychological paradigms are in contrast to magic if one wishes to create the illusion of legitimacy, which is the key to all modes of Psychic-styled performance whether you are coming off as the real deal or as an expert in body language, NLP or whatever may be the case -- the biggest illusion you create is the mystique around yourself and the idea that you really do know what you are talking about -- you are an "expert" and as such, thanks to assumption and perception, the public invests belief in you... this is what makes mentalism so much different than magic; we invoke belief as mentalist where, as Lee Earle has pointed out countless times, the magician has a "wink-wink" agreement with the audience in that they suspend their disbelief, knowing they are there to be fooled and as such, entertained. In other words, the patrons don't care and understand it's all tricks; when we surrender as performers and allow the public to perceive a mentalism bit as being "another magic trick" we not only devalue that side of the art, but we hurt ourselves in our effectiveness as a showman in that we've ignored the most important and potent tool exploited by the mentalist -- BELIEF!

MENTAL MAGIC on the other hand, contains that previously mentioned "wink" factor. Great examples of this are the Mental Epic, the Dr. Rhine Experiment and thanks to the extremes of commercial greed, the find the sharp object under a paper cup routines as well as metal bending... thanks to the plethora of magicians who have little respect for mentalism in and of itself, many of these things have become "lost" so to speak, and sentenced to an eternal association with corny magic and poorly skilled magic enthusiast.

Let me clarify that last line... Stephan Minch and many before me pointed out how very few magic enthusiast have the level of innate larceny that is required for being a solid mentalist. It is a skill that can be cultivated over time, but it is a solid requirement if one is to achieve greatness within the field. This is one of the reasons why it was seen as "tradition" for may long years, that Mentalism was more of being the proverbial icing on the cake allied to one's career -- an area of deeper "occult" study that the senior mage graduated into in their latter years. The fact of the matter being that most that present mentalism are not "believable" unless they have that touch of grey and obvious maturity... life experience, supporting them. As I've shared many times in the past, I RAN from mentalism when I was in my early 20s because I was good at it but I wasn't yet mature enough to handle the results of being good at it.

Take a look around... if you search the archives of most forums you can readily see how many who started off a year or two ago, all hot and bothered over mentalism, have shifted their focus back to close up, card work, and traditional stage magic. There is a proven reason behind this and it is not because Mentalism is "better" than magic but because it can be more demanding at the psychological and "thespian" levels, than traditional magic tends to be.

You've been given some great suggestions for general resource, I'll add to the list, just for the sake of general insight on Mental Magic, the SYZYGY videos offered by Lee Earle... they are loaded with some awesome routines that are entertainment oriented and perfect add-ins to most traditional magic acts. The Osterlind Easy to Master Mental Miracles videos are, in my opinion at least, a requirement for all new to this field in that it is filled with material many overlook and ignore until they see it presented and though I'm not a huge fan of Richards, I believe this set is of great import.

Subscribe to Elliot Bresler's Billet studies and pick up the Allen Zingg Master Billet Course... I'd also suggest the Millard Longman Acidus DVDs from MEVPROSHOPS... they are a bit expensive but the two methods involved are priceless and really all you'll ever need when it comes to all the peek and cheat drama.

If you know billets you can accomplish god-like miracles at the literal drop of a hat.

If you dedicate yourself towards being an adept at those skills I've listed here, you can can easily start your own religion.