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by **Derango** » Oct 17th, '10, 13:43

Grimshaw wrote:'Perfection' is a strong word isn't it. How about 'To the best of your ability' as some diluted but more applicable words.

Maybe Derango can do the sleights 'perfect'ly well in the comfort of their practice zone, but when faced with spectators perfection becomes unobtainable, as increased heart rate and sweaty hands renders sleights more difficult than they were initially.

I think the advice to stop performing a trick until it's perfected would probably render many budding magicians as bedroom performers only, as I'm sure many will agree that tricks really only come into their own when performed regularly. You need to perform them to perfect them. I'm sure some of the more snobby amongst us may consider the idea of some magicians confined to their rooms a brilliant one. In doing so however, you create a thousand more Youtube uploaders.

Perhaps - and this is going out on a limb here - perhaps Derango loses control of the card through some other process they've added into the trick. In other words, they are making it their own rather than following the method exactly as laid out in a book. This is a good thing and should be encouraged surely. Though it may be causing them problems now, at least independent thought is being entertained.

Got to say i feel some responses to this thread are rather pious. We're here to help aren't we? Telling someone to stay indoors until they're absolutely perfect isn't the best advice you can give to someone.

Thanks, that's what I do. The way I perform the trick I use an insane amount of shuffling, that's just my presentation, so I sometimes miss the card by 1 or 2. And as you say, I'm somebody who tends to struggle more in real life performing - no matter what level of perfection I reach in practicing, mistakes tend to happen about 1 in 20 times in performances, that's why I carry a brainwave.

If I'm doing the Biddle Trick 5 times a day, 1 in 20 means 1 mistake every 4 days, which means my brainwave deck runs out of steam in a few weeks, so I have to use FP on it again

by **Vanderbelt** » Oct 17th, '10, 15:28

Derango wrote:If I'm doing the Biddle Trick 5 times a day, 1 in 20 means 1 mistake every 4 days, which means my brainwave deck runs out of steam in a few weeks, so I have to use FP on it again

Where and to whom are you performing?!

by **SamGurney** » Oct 17th, '10, 18:06

Got to say i feel some responses to this thread are rather pious. We're here to help aren't we? Telling someone to stay indoors until they're absolutely perfect isn't the best advice you can give to someone.

I would say Amen, but that would be ironic.

by **Serendipity** » Oct 17th, '10, 18:36

Spread cull + palm = impromptu card to anywhere. Useful when things go wrong. Not that they ever do. Because I use real magic. Clearly.

by **Randy** » Oct 17th, '10, 20:41

I use ID for it's own effect for strolling magic. It opens up the endless possibilities to come up with a jillion new and different presentations for it.

Also the reason you are screwing up is because you are probably rushing through the performance. Thinking of it like pulling a band aid off. Well, the way to simply get rid of that is to take your time when your perform. Slow and steady. This will hopefully cause you to not screw up so many times. And really, you shouldn't be performing 5x a day and constantly using the brainwave deck.

by **Jobasha** » Oct 17th, '10, 20:48

I don't do a lot of card magic, but I'm a fan of marked decks or else forcing the card in the first place. Even if I lose a card I know what it is, so can work towards some form of revelation.

by **Lawrence** » Oct 18th, '10, 08:01

Derango wrote:The way I perform the trick I use an insane amount of shuffling, that's just my presentation, so I sometimes miss the card by 1 or 2.

I would suggest it's possibly time to revise your presentation. If it is not working for you then perhaps it isn't the presentation for you.

by **Randy** » Oct 18th, '10, 21:08

Why would you want to shuffle it an insane amount of times. The Biddle trick isn't about proving that you have godlike skill with cards. It's about how the chosen card ended up reversed in the deck and vanished.

by **jim ferguson** » Oct 18th, '10, 22:55

Randy wrote:Why would you want to shuffle it an insane amount of times. The Biddle trick isn't about proving that you have godlike skill with cards. It's about how the chosen card ended up reversed in the deck and vanished.

I agree, keep it simple. In the Magic of Michael Ammar he mentions the use of shuffles after a card is returned to the deck - in most cases its actually not needed. Think about this - a card has been selected and returned to say, the centre of the deck. Now, why would we need to then 'mix it in even further' when, according to the spectator it is lost anyway ? Usually it is because we need to control the card/s, but, exessive shuffling and cutting can potentially tip the fact. If we must shuffle or cut in these circumstances it may be best to keep them brief and in an off hand manner. Things like cul**ng and the si** s**p are good non shuffling controls.Have you thought about cr**p work ? Using a cr**p you could find the card easily, and if you're feeling brave could even hand the deck out for a short shuffle

jim

by **Grimshaw** » Oct 18th, '10, 23:02

To back up your point Jim I think Michael Vincent pointed out that a couple of shuffles whilst talking gives off a relaxed, casual air. I concur completely.

The shuffles should not be the centre of attention, and doing it a number of times would certainly make them so. Just shuffle a couple of times whilst ensuring the spectator remembers their card.

by **Grimshaw** » Oct 18th, '10, 23:03

To back up your point Jim I think Michael Vincent pointed out that a couple of shuffles whilst talking gives off a relaxed, casual air. I concur completely.

The shuffles should not be the centre of attention, and doing it a number of times would certainly make them so. Just shuffle a couple of times whilst ensuring the spectator remembers their card.

by **jim ferguson** » Oct 18th, '10, 23:05

Grimshaw wrote:To back up your point Jim I think Michael Vincent pointed out that a couple of shuffles whilst talking gives off a relaxed, casual air. I concur completely.

The shuffles should not be the centre of attention, and doing it a number of times would certainly make them so. Just shuffle a couple of times whilst ensuring the spectator remembers their card.

Indeed. It is part of his theory on tension and relaxation in a magic performance. In fact Michael understands this concept so well it allows him to get away with some of the most blatent things Ive ever seen, right under the spectators noses

jim

by **Randy** » Oct 19th, '10, 01:34

Personally, only one or two shuffles and cuts would do the job. All you'd really have to do if you REALLY think you need to prove your skill is do a Zarrow with an up the ladder and then to most people not in the know looks like you simply shuffled and cut the deck.

But with something like The Biddle Trick. It's not about showing control, it's about how you made their card vanish and then appear face up in the deck.

by **V.E. Day** » Oct 19th, '10, 01:43

I used to have a ID made from a Waddingtons Deck and I found it very unreliable, I guessed the ******* didn't take kindly to the quality linen finish. Nowadays I use a ID made from Austrian Piatniks and although its loads better I'm still not 100percent satisfied with it and prefer not to use it. You folks who perform with the ID regularly - how do you ensure that the deck isn't going to suddenly fail on you?

by **Robmonster** » Oct 22nd, '10, 16:56

I seem physically incompatible with ID's...

I have three of them now. Two of them seem so loose that the cards all separate when I'm just spreading through, no matter how much pressure I seem to apply. On ym other deck I seem to need to use pliers to get the cards to separate at all!

Rob

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