talkmagic.co.uk

Hi folks,

I am a relative beginner to magic and only have a repertoire of a few tricks. I have a few questions.

I am working really hard on false shuffles, double lifts, forces and a snap change. I find that I'm getting some of these off pat but I find it's difficult to always keep the cards together when I do the snap change.
Is this something that only works well with a new pack?
What deck would some more experienced magos recommend?

On the slip force I find the top card snaps down on the top card. I've found that so far nobody seems to notice what I'm doing but I always feel this is really obvious.

What would be a definitive book or DVD for learning card magic and sleights?



Samurai Sam.

for the snap change just use bikes and that'll fix your problem...also when doing the slip cut force remember that you are the magi and know how its done, so you pay attention to every detail but to them it simply looks like a cut...

Its natural to feel "exposed" if you like when performing a move. I used to feel really uncomfortable when holding PB's for example thinking I was always going to get busted any second but I never did!! As I practised and performed more to more friends I became more confident and consequently the quality of the trick improved. Basically dont be self conscious.... its usually only magi's that will rumble you but then any good one will only comment on how good your DL was etc. Dont worry!!!

PS: For the snap change and almost every other trick uses Bicycle cards, they are the industry standard. Practice will perfect the move. Its about finding the sweet spot of the cards and they will stay in place. Systematically practice noticing exactly where on the edges of the card your fingers are.

I'll try and make a vid and post link tomo to show you!

as for the video theres already a great site around... http://www.magicvideodepot.com/

--check it out--

I personally think the snap change is done badly by a lot of people, as it can be done slowly and still look good if done right!

I assume we are talking about the snap change where the cards are held between the thumb and second finger at one of the short edges and snapped and the card changes........

If we are talking about the change done by David Blaine (don't know what that's called but it's nice) I will shut up!

I was in the local magic shop today giving a demo on this very slight to a young magician and it is not just bikes that make you get it right but technique! Although bikes do help enormously.

Those that suggest that the use of better cards will cure your problems are forgetting that they probably adopt the correct technique of this slight without thinking about it!

You should be able to snap the change and show it as one card without going anywhere near the deck and it should still be convincing, done badly and you would have to get the cards on the deck asap to cover your spreading card, which would look terrible!

The correct technique is very simple.....you just make sure that immediately before the change happens.... at the same time as you bend the "card" to prepare for the change, that the first finger and thumb squeezes the corner of the "card" , it's that easy to get it right!

The mistake a lot of people make is that they leave it too late to catch the corner and end up trying to align the cards, but they will move about as you know!

Just try to move the first finger that bit earlier to the corner and sqeeze the card against your thumb and it will stay aligned all day if you like, provided you squeeze hard enough!

Oh I forgot, I hate the Slip Cut force because it's the easiest force to do really badly! I watched Martin Daniels on Telly do a really bad one and I just cringed! Although this was a long time ago, I will never forget it!

Paul Gordon, lectured for us at the Plymouth Magic Circle and he did a dem on a very nice version of it. I think I do a nice one but that's a matter of opinion as I much prefer the riffle down force, as it's very similar but a lot more convincing, or the stop cut which can be found in a Simon Lovell book, I think.....I use the stop cut, all the time!

Anyway, to stop the snap that you are experiencing, try to not pull the packet away so quickly.....it doesn't need to be done quickly!

Well you've said evrything there that I would have said in a video anyway!!

Dont even think about trying a fast snap change until you are comforatble with its workings at slow speed. It is as simple as JB says about getting to the corner. New Bikes (or plastic coated cards in general) are going to work better than a battered pack of cards or simple cards without a coating!!

Another tip would be if you can to steal a small amount of spittle on your finger and rub onto back of one of the cards, then DL. As well as having the technique to help you the spittle helps act as a security measure against the cards parting as easily!!

Not to repeat what anyone has already said, but I've practiced the snap change for quite some time, and now can do it with pretty much ANY cards(within reason) OK... I can't do it with a stiff 20 year old deck , but practice will perfect the move and with the practice comes the confidence that is essential for performing the trick! As Jordan C said, it's all about finding the "sweet spot"!
If your having trouble with that, Y ou might want to try the snap change used on "Jeff Mcbride's Art of Card Manipulation". It describes how to do the whole change with the deck in your hands, then conveniantly ditches the card on the pack! Leaving you free to pass out the card for examination!Hope this helps some!

Folks,

Many thanks for all your feedback and Jordan special thanks for that URL to the video site their is some interesting stuff there.

Regards,

Samurai Sam.

one thing i hate about magicvideodepot is "ohhh look how well i can do a rifflepass etc etc" the whole point of a rifle pass etc is it shouldnt be seen... so why the hell do people post videos of it??? plus the fact that it probably takes them about 15 takes before it looks half decent which in reality is of no use whatsoever since you only get one shot at it in real performances.... same thing with the snap change.. if anyone watches Ed Marlo "the cardician" even HE takes about 8 shots before he gets it right.

Seriously... forget about stuff like this and stick to practicing basic card handling until you feel comfortable with the deck.. for double lifts try and have a get ready that makes it easy to lift the double.. and remember to make sure you turn it over exactly the same way youd turn a single!

Sam,

You haven't said what effect you are doing that requires a force of a card. nor where you are performing your magic.

If you are performing in the usual places beginners start such as at work, for friends or in the pub why do you need to force a card ??

The slip cut is not the best anyway, learn the Classic. First learn basic card control. Then do the Classic and if punters don't take your forced card cut or shuffle it to the top and reveal it by sticking it on your forehead, spinning it, reversing it etc etc.

As said by many, Royal Road will give you the basics, and you don't really need a lot more to entertain people.

As for Bikes, I use Waddingtons because although I'm over 6' and have spent half my life in fights, I have little hands, so I need small cards. And the snap change works OK with Waddingtons too.

alrite so...this thread has got me workin on my snap change too, and im getttin a bit worried... maybe only 4 out of 6 times ill get the snap change right but all the rest the spectator can clearly see the second card so...heres my question... that card needs somewhere to go...ive tried doing it at the edge of the table so i can actually flick the card into my chest but it doesnt work too well..any other suggestions...everytime i try it with a deck in my hands and try and replace the first card someone will spot it...help!!!

I always have the cards for snapping moving. I kind of shake them in the air and then snap change. If for any reason the cards separate I usually have the pack in the other hand nearby so a quick movement with the pack, load both cards on top and drop the pack to the table. If you have the main pack within 18 inches of the snap you can usually load them to the deck quite quickly.