talkmagic.co.uk

I'm working on Mnemonics in 13 Steps to Mentalism at the moment and got thinking about what the largest number of objects that you'd be able to memorise using a Mnemonics system would be.

I'm quite happily reacalling 20 at the moment and am going to have a go at going up to 30 but I'd be interested in knowing what the most other people have worked with is.

Many years ago I misguidedly took the exams of the Institute of Taxation. I asked the tutor how many tax cases we needed to know; he said I'd be all right if I learnt all the ones in the manuals.

There were 300 cases in the manuals, and I memorised them all with a mnemonc system - a modified version of SKIPNUM from one of Tony Buzan's books. I don't think it's in his current books.

Barry

I think if you can probabaly memorise as many objects as you can learn keys for. I've gone up to 52 to learn the order of a deck and that was pretty easy to do.

I can do 50 object quite easily and quickly using 1-10 with rhymes then adding red / blue / hot / cold.

Can anyone memorise a poorly shuffled deck of cards in 30 seconds?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp9qF-SjJZk

I go to 30, the reason being that some people I have met have told me they have been told how to do it to ten in a training course, management course kind of environment.
30 seamed impressive even to them.
Any thing over this and it would be too long.
Have PM'd you my presentation
For various reasons I can go to 130, so it's spec bordom thats the limit.

thanks for that Connor, I like your way of thinking.

just last night i learned how to do 40 and have done it successfully..is there anything else this can be used for apart from showing how good a memory you have?

It is impressive to memorise the whole deck, but personally i like to give the illusion i can memorise it at a moments notice. Thanks to Hans Trixer's little doozie to be found in Corinda's 13 Steps, The Photo Memory trick. I've used it loads of times as an answer to ' Show us a trick '. I then say ' I'll show you a feat of memory ' and like it says in the book, you can repeat it if you're clever. Breaking one of the golden rules there but it works.

I'm currently working through Tony Buzans 'use your memory' which is a great little book. It gives peg words from 1-1000 which I'm learning to memorise long digit numbers. It also gives a method to times that by 10 so in theory from studying that book you can memorise up to 10,000 objects.

Having said that I must agree with the other post, 30 objects or a full deck of cards is more than enough for demonsration purposes.
If you want to entertain with memory feats I highly recommend 'How to develop a super power memory' by Harry Lorayne. It is written in layman terms and is full of great demonstrations. I was lucky enough to stumble across a copy in a second hand book shop, the best 50p i've ever spent

Grimshaw wrote:It is impressive to memorise the whole deck, but personally i like to give the illusion i can memorise it at a moments notice. Thanks to Hans Trixer's little doozie to be found in Corinda's 13 Steps, The Photo Memory trick. I've used it loads of times as an answer to ' Show us a trick '. I then say ' I'll show you a feat of memory ' and like it says in the book, you can repeat it if you're clever. Breaking one of the golden rules there but it works.

Here's another take on this utter classic: http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic22586.php

Seriously guys to much time on your hands, get out there and stop wasting valuable performance time haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I worked on this for about 30 minutes once and was able to memorize 13 objects almost at a glance, but then I couldn't remember why I wanted to learn such a thing in the first place.

I've got myself upto 30 objects now

I think mnemonics systems can be very useful not just for memory demonstrations but to help keep tabs on what spectator might be holding a certain card out of a group of them or remembering useful information about a spectator.

Magic Chris wrote:Seriously guys to much time on your hands, get out there and stop wasting valuable performance time haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I so hate admitting this

Chris is right however; to "perfect" a memory system you have to use it. It's akin to learning a language.

When I teach people how to do Readings we spend very little time dealing with books and a lot of time in the field cultivating our observational techniques first, followed by actual Readings. Just like the mnemonic issue, they are learning a combination of different "languages" i.e. what colors, symbols, etc. mean from a psychological and metaphysical point of view as well as whatever key system (Tarot, Numerology, etc.) they are trying to learn. This is all outlined in my EASY READING book as well as how any word code system can be used as a mnemonic, the ER code technique allowing for some phenomenal "remote" demonstrations of both, Reading actions or memory recollection i.e. you chum calls you up and says that his buddies don't believe you have near perfect recall even when you can't see people, etc. The chum on the phone that has been building you up to others introduces you to each member of this group, describing them in part but in a very limited manner... with a collection set you are ready to name each person in sequence and even recall what they look like, manner of dress, etc.

Of course such things can be carried further out, but you get the gist.

My memory stinks and is sadly, getting worse because of my MS. My issue with most mnemonic systems is that they are based on the Roth idea of abstract images used as an anchor to which to tie the items of your list. But if you can't recall your abstract image, you're pretty much screwed.

The ER system was built around the Paul Hadley Code Act which my ex and I used to work with fair frequency. Paul's philosophy was to work with what is natural e.g. your "cue" would be that all things that are "first" git a specific grouping i.e. the letter A, the Number 1, the month of January, Monday, Adam, Eve, etc. Thus, if you are working with a partner you know that the first person they list off "fits" everything under that heading. In the case of ER, your "sender" might ask the color of the first person's hair and you know instantly that it is Red. If your sender stays with this one subject you can count the number of questions he poses to you thus, if he asks about the sixth of seventh "thing" you know that something pertaining to it fits the 6 or 7 niche and everything under that i.e. a birthday being in July or the fact that the person is wearing a ring with either Pearl or Moonstone settings (a white gem), etc.

By working in such a sequence I've found that it simplifies the memorization process while delivering to you an amazing tool that could prove a serious reputation maker on multiple levels.