talkmagic.co.uk

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.

Sorry, but that's an absurd suggestion. You don't need loads of stuff to become a good magician. I think that if someone bought The Royal Road to Card Magic and Expert Card Technique and really took the time to learn the stuff, patiently working their way through them, they would be a very good card magician. Clearly, that's just an example; I'm sure the same thing applies to coin magic, mentalism, etc. There were such things as great magicians before the advent of DVDs and fancy, expensive gimmicks.

How many hours does a young musician practice their craft?

Just to be mediocre they pour in dozens of hours a week let alone those that invest more than 40 hours weekly in order to become "the best".

This same rule applies to magic. There are those of past and present who invest hundreds of hours if not years working on just one single move let alone full routines before they are shown on the public stage. Most of these individuals become living legends, FISM winners (front runners at minimum) and the type many a newbie clamor over for generations after their success; Fred Kapps is just one such person that springs to mind alongside Richard Ross, Ger Copper and Shimada.

A performer that's been around the block a few times can get away with less practice, even with new material, because we have a sense of savvy that comes from years of doing the work; even Houdini developed the bad habit of placing brand new, barely rehearsed pieces into the show on the same day they were delivered. He could get away with it because of who he was and the experience he had as a showman; there aren't many in our world that have that sort of advantage.

So as has been noted, it's really dependent upon your personal vision and how determined you are to become a top rated "Master" of the craft vs. the more common mediocre performer or worse (and unfortunately, most are far below the mediocre level on things).

Exellent post Craig

I agree 100%