talkmagic.co.uk

Hi guys

I've purchased an 8 DVD set this week by David Jones "An introduction to close up magic". All props come with the set and was watching the first DVD today, some moves quite basic, paddle move, palming, use of TT etc, but I still want to practice to get top notch

How much time do people set aside each day to practice?

Also, does anyone else own this DVD set?

Thanks in advance

Well it depends on your end aim. If its a hobby, as much time as you like! I don't see the point in setting aside a particular time because then it becomes a chore, and I have enough dishes to clean and floors to sweep! But if you are aiming to be a professional then I suppose its a bit different.

I'm sure others will have other views

I think the mindset should be that you're not putting time aside to practice. You just practice.

Choose a sleight and repeat it ad nauseum while watching telly.

If it's a chore, leave it until you're motivated.

Whatever you do, don't kill the passion and enthusiasm that made you want to learn this stuff in the first place.

If the material you're working with drives you on to keep practicing, you've chosen the right material. If it doesn't, you probably haven't.

Pete

I have been doing this full-time for many years. My view is that only a few minutes each weeks go to practice. The rest of the time goes to getting gigs and doing gigs.

If I need to learn something new, I will put in a bit of work. Otherwise, my practice is with a live audience for money.

If I was a hobbiest it could be completely different.

Practice? What's Practice?

Seriously though, for me it depends if I'm working on something new, over the years I've learned I pick up a lot of tricks very quickly now but will keep running through them until they are smooth enough to show as it were. I will then practice this in front of people until it's bullet proof. When it's bullet proof it just gets used in my "sets" and like Tonyb that becomes my practice.

I am in no way a busy professional however so I should probably do more than I do!

ace of kev wrote:Well it depends on your end aim. If its a hobby, as much time as you like! I don't see the point in setting aside a particular time because then it becomes a chore, and I have enough dishes to clean and floors to sweep! But if you are aiming to be a professional then I suppose its a bit different.

I'm sure others will have other views

No difference, practice is practice. The key to becoming good is too practice only until you get the mechanics of the trick. After that what you should be doing is rehearsing.

If you're just learning, then just as much as you like. If you're working, then you should be at a standard that things come naturally. Unless you're learning a new routine, or creating a new effect, you should only have to go over things every now and again.

I'm just starting out to be fair, but SOOOO enthusiastic about it all, feel like a kid at the moment. Have already spent hundreds within a fortnight, but feel I need to stop spending now and start practicing

Given I can't yet "palm" "French drop" or any other basic move WELL yet, I need to take stock

I'd say that instead of spending loads of money on everything and anything, you should pick your favourite type of magic, cards, coins, ect and focus on that, look up the best beginner books for that type of magic and go from there. How does the saying go? A jack of all trades is a master of none. Not saying that you can't be great at lots of things, but you'll probably find you progress slower if you're trying to dabble in to much at the same time.

I'm just getting started but i dont find that i set aside time to practice, it just sort of happens. ill run through sum of the stuff i already know then i might move onto learning once im warmed up its should never feel like a chore

Keep spending! Buy it, buy it all and buy it now. Without people buying the stuff the creators will stop creating the stuff.

bmat wrote:Keep spending! Buy it, buy it all and buy it now. Without people buying the stuff the creators will stop creating the stuff.

So but it all? What else should I buy? Or should I just PM you my card details?

TonyB wrote:I have been doing this full-time for many years. My view is that only a few minutes each weeks go to practice. The rest of the time goes to getting gigs and doing gigs.

If I need to learn something new, I will put in a bit of work. Otherwise, my practice is with a live audience for money

In all my years I have never heard that said by a working-pro. One may well move to Ireland.

Agecroft wrote:Practice? What's Practice?

Seriously though, for me it depends if I'm working on something new, over the years I've learned I pick up a lot of tricks very quickly now but will keep running through them until they are smooth enough to show as it were. I will then practice this in front of people until it's bullet proof. When it's bullet proof it just gets used in my "sets" and like Tonyb that becomes my practice.

I am in no way a busy professional however so I should probably do more than I do!

Got to say I agree with every word of this.
I hardly practice in solitude anymore; I see a trick, learn it, go and practice if front of real people

At what point do you change from "practice" to "performance"?
I think there's a very big blurry mile wide line in the middle when it's all done in front of people.

The first effect I performed in front of someone I had practiced pretty much to death. I was confident, assured and knew exactly what I was going to do.

Performing it once, I learnt more in that five minutes than I did in hours of practicing. I am not saying you should go perform something if you have no idea how to do so but the learning curve is much sharper with a live audience over a mirror.