talkmagic.co.uk

Sounds like you're right on the money, Thomas - maybe you could point Eshly towards the sort of things he is looking for...

Sean

I guess I did, ...

Cheers
Th.

If you're looking for "complete propless" mentalism - some things that can be considered are :

- Cold Reading Techniques : Kenton Knepper has some brilliant work on this if I'm not mistaken. So do Ian Rowland, Robert Nelson and Richard Webster.

- Docc Hilford's E'voque is great to force things lying around the place - if you were kind enough to consider it propless

- Jerome Finley's "The Thought Channel" is great for finding out who's hiding an object between two people.

- Banachek's Psychological Subtleties 1 and 2 are certainly worth a look - lots of methods of suggestion that dont require props.

- Using Minimal props , I would suggest Max Maven's Nothing, and Anneman's Complete One Man Mental and Psychic Routine.

This is all that comes to mind right now. Will chip in if I remember more..

"Suggestibility tests" (waking hypnosis demonstrations) or muscle reading.

Barry

it sounds like you've got enough to be getting on with right now with your new swami, new imp pad and all the other questions you've been asking on here and over at the magic cafe...

why not treat yourself to some s p a c e and r e l a x...

t r a n c e
d e e p e r

i wonder when you'll start noticing that when you think about it now how much more interesting s l o w i n g down is...

I do believe both, Annemann and Corinda pointed out that the epitome of Mentalism was learning to be a skilled Reader... I can assure you from experience, it's the most potent of all related skills and opens a variety of doors for the serious Mentalist that the magicians doing psychic themed tricks will never know.

Becoming proficient at Muscle Reading is again, the "Old Way" and 100% gimmick/item free and once you've mastered it, you can be very much "hands free" and do amazing things through it. MR likewise lends to you the world of Pendulum and Seance that, when coupled with the aforementioned, lends to you potential guru status.

Psychological & Traditional Force Methods and Related Control Systems are of course paramount when it comes to this work but there are key physiological techniques one must study as well... methods I refuse to post in an open forum. Just know that they exist and when the time is ripe, you will most certainly find a way in towards learning them.

Related to this area would be mastering linguistics and how to use them on the psychological front. The most noted resource on this topic would be both "Wonder Words" (which will aid you in presentation structure as well as linguistic skills) and MIND READING (also from Kenton Knepper & Co.)

Progressive Anagram systems are a MUST in my opinion. The more variants of this mode of action you have memorized, the more advantage you will find. Understand however, it is learning how to "pump" without it seeming as if you are playing a game of Hangman is where PA methods hosts weaknesses that only you can work on and find ways around. I would strongly recommend learning at least three or more variants to the popular "What's My Sign" zodiac reveal.

As I've explained to you before, there are no short cuts; you must jump into the water and actually start swimming eventually. As much as I love books and anyone of today's generation that's willing to actually use them as a mode of study, they do not have "all" of the answers; they can only give you the essence around what's involved while experience itself is what will teach you (hopefully) how to actually do it. Too, don't get yourself into the pit so many do by trying to "learn it all" on the analytical level before jumping in; that is a never ending path that will give you ONLY surface knowledge.

I bring this up only because of your many, many posts about "what's the best" and wanting to know the most expedient course on things; it simply doesn't work that way. Find a solid dozen simple bits you already have in hand, be it in books or actual devices. Invest time practicing with these for the next six or so weeks and then start presenting them in routines... you only need 3-5 bits of business to fill up 15+ minutes (depending on what you're doing and how you present them... if you do them too fast, it's a Magic Trick and not mentalism; when you create the air of enchantment and believability THEN you're doing Mentalism)... so in meeting this suggestion you'll have two to three solid routines to work with and start laying your foundation through.

As I've tried to help you see before, there's a major difference to being a Mentalist vs. Magician. If you want to step into the Hands Free arena as a Mentalist, then focus on showmanship and presentational skills more than just learning methods.

You could learn the center tear and all you would need is pretty much a piece of paper and you're set for life.

Doug Dynment has an Effect that is gimmick free and gives you the feeling of being a pure mind reader. I think it's called "Sign language".

Randy wrote:You could learn the center tear and all you would need is pretty much a piece of paper and you're set for life.

Doug Dynment has an Effect that is gimmick free and gives you the feeling of being a pure mind reader. I think it's called "Sign language".

I can do it quite well now... except that I can never burn it and so its hard to find a reason to tear it up.

Eshly wrote:

Randy wrote:You could learn the center tear and all you would need is pretty much a piece of paper and you're set for life.

Doug Dynment has an Effect that is gimmick free and gives you the feeling of being a pure mind reader. I think it's called "Sign language".

I can do it quite well now... except that I can never burn it and so its hard to find a reason to tear it up.

You don't HAVE to burn the paper, Osterlind mentions that he also had problems with it burning and going out as well as the other reasons too.

If you want, you can simply hand them the other peaces and have them throw em away or put em in their pocket and in that second, do the dirty work and just reveal the word as you want.

Learn how to talk, surely? I could do one effect in an hour and then just talk about "how I do it" with my spectators. I did a gig once for 6 hours and I only ever did 4 effects...

Half the performance isn;t even in an effect, but what you do afterwards

PK Touches followed by a lengthy discussiong, "answering" all of their questions. They love it, and I find it easy

Randy wrote:

Eshly wrote:

Randy wrote:You could learn the center tear and all you would need is pretty much a piece of paper and you're set for life.

Doug Dynment has an Effect that is gimmick free and gives you the feeling of being a pure mind reader. I think it's called "Sign language".

I can do it quite well now... except that I can never burn it and so its hard to find a reason to tear it up.

You don't HAVE to burn the paper, Osterlind mentions that he also had problems with it burning and going out as well as the other reasons too.

If you want, you can simply hand them the other peaces and have them throw em away or put em in their pocket and in that second, do the dirty work and just reveal the word as you want.

Hmmmm - I never really liked the idea of ripping up the paper after getting the spec to write the word down. It just always seemed a little bit too illogical. "OK, write down a word and now we'll just tear it up/burn it" Er - well, why did you get me to write it down in the first place?

I much prefer the work on the premise that if you're going to get a spec to write something down then it's better to keep it 'so we can refer back to it later' (in fact, in loud, drunken comedy clubs that often turns out to be the real reason for keeping it! And, of course, this allows all manner of peek devices and methods to be used.

I know I'll get flamed for calling one of the greatest mentalist moves into question but the truth is, I've never really had much use for it!

Sean

Klangster1971 wrote:I know I'll get flamed for calling one of the greatest mentalist moves into question but the truth is, I've never really had much use for it!

I totally agree with your logical problems using a CT.
For this reason I definitely prefer our own version of the AN for an instant and impromptu peek.

There is only one logical justification I know for ripping up the paper after having a spectator writing something down on it.
And this is a conjunction of the written content with the process of destroying itself.
A modification of Bruce Bernsteins "The Ritual" (Perception is Everything, 1999, p. 20 ff) may offer you this solution.

Cheers
Th.

Hmmmm - I never really liked the idea of ripping up the paper after getting the spec to write the word down. It just always seemed a little bit too illogical. "OK, write down a word and now we'll just tear it up/burn it" Er - well, why did you get me to write it down in the first place?

I believe the Center Tear is one of the most over-ratted "moves" in all of Mentalism and is more akin to how a magician would go about showing folks how a fake psychic might do things. It's been grossly exposed via countless mediums like cereal boxes, the boy scout manual, etc. and it hosts absolutely NO LOGIC in 99.9% of the cases in which it's used.

HOWEVER, there are places where it can be used that fit, I happen to have two eBooks coming out through MEVPROSHOP.com next spring that address this very issue; books I compiled because of how much I detest the technique. The first is entitled "From the Center" while the second takes a deeper look at Cassidy's popular "Where & When" routine (entitled "Where on Earth?")... I soo wish I could tip things right here in order to demonstrate one of the few cases in which tearing up the info card makes sense and works within the confines of a routine

On the other hand, the OCCULT TEAR variant found in Mind, Myth & Magic does have a place and can prove very practical should your performance approach fit... I think that's the key though, using techniques and modes of approach that "fit" you as a performer.

I look forward to reading the E-books, Craig

I'm sure there are instances where a tear would 'fit' but I'm yet to find one!

Sean

Mentalism is impromptu and propless.
If it isn't, it isn't mentalism.