talkmagic.co.uk

This is mainly a question for the card guys.

Do you ever get to the stage where you have done everything that is out there to do?

Do you get to a stage where the only good card magic left to you is that, that you create yourself?

This may seem like a really daft question, but surely once you have read all the top books, or watched all the best DVD's, one must come up against a type of writer's block (for want of a better phrase)

Just curious to hear how the long timer's keep themselves interested, & motivated.

Thanks.

CArl...

CArlight1958 wrote:This is mainly a question for the card guys.

Do you ever get to the stage where you have done everything that is out there to do?

Do you get to a stage where the only good card magic left to you is that, that you create yourself?

This may seem like a really daft question, but surely once you have read all the top books, or watched all the best DVD's, one must come up against a type of writer's block (for want of a better phrase)

Just curious to hear how the long timer's keep themselves interested, & motivated.

Thanks.

CArl...

Is this a joke or some sort of wind up thread? Honestly I can't tell if you're serious.

You think anybody has done "all there is to do?"

Is this a joke or some sort of wind up thread? Honestly I can't tell if you're serious.

You think anybody has done "all there is to do?"[/quote]

No, I'm being serious. Maybe a little green under the eye's, but it is a serious question.

CArl...

There is no shortage of card magic around. It would be hard to do close to all of it.

Get Marlo's "Revolutionary Card Technique" book and we'll see you back here in a few years time...

Fair play mate. I think you'd be very silly to claim you've done all there is to do. There is a HUGE wealth or material to work through, it would take years to read even a large majority of the work on card magic alone, and that's not even practising the skill.

There are people who spend their life getting good at one small area of card magic, such as gambling with the false deals and shuffles without even going near "magic" style effects like a good torn and restored

what is really interesting to do is to go back through the card books you already have and actually study one of the effects you originally dismissed as not for you. Take it apart, and think about how you'd adapt it to your own personal style.

I can think of only a handful of people that I could happily watch do only card magic and not be bored to tears by it. How much do you NEED to know? Realistically, no more than a dozen (for variety). The thing you can study all your life and never be absolutely complete is your character, delivery and presentational skills. You will always be able to improve on those.

CArlight1958 wrote:Just curious to hear how the long timer's keep themselves interested, & motivated.

One word: Perfection

I've spent pretty much the last 10 years studying material from one author, and one author alone. I constantly strive for perfection in everything I do. It takes time, but time I have.

Once you have a few tricks under your belt the next step is to develop an act, where an act is defined as a series of routines with a rising dramatic curve. An act can be comprised of as little as 3 routines (opener, presentational showpiece, closer)

So, you'll need a good opener, a quick (ideally visual) effect that requires little from the audience. The idea is to get your audiences attention. You then need to follow up with a series of varied routines (i.e. not 5 pick-a-card tricks in a row), ending on a strong (ideally your strongest routine) closer.

This will give your practice and rehersal some focus. I have found that it can also pay dividens in the technical department, as the act structure may allow you to perform routines that you have previously excluded due to the routine requiring a set-up of some kind.

An example of this is 'Jumping Gemini', followed by 'Ultimate Fusion'. The fusion effect requires a gaffed card to be added to the deck.

I start with the deck in the box, with the gaffed card on top, the flap of the box being underneath the top (gaffed) card. When I open the card box, I squeeze the sides of the card box, causing the top card to bow inwards. This allows me to remove the rest of the pack, leaving the gaffed card behind in the box. I then close and table the box to my right.

I hand the cards out for shuffling, then I go into JG, but just before doing so I put the cards in the box, such that the gaff is on the bottom, explaining that sometimes when I perform this particular piece, people sometimes think I'm somehow switching cards with the deck (this is the motivation for putting the deck back in the box).

Once JG is concluded, I remove the cards from the box, add the 4 JG cards back to the deck. A quick tabled riffle-shuffle (with bottom-stock control) and I'm ready to begin Ultimate Fusion with a deck that spectators themselves have shuffled.

This is just one example of the many things that can be done beyond just performing 'a few tricks'.

Hope this helps,

Ade.

mrz0mbie wrote:Fair play mate. I think you'd be very silly to claim you've done all there is to do.

Where on earth in my post did I suggest I had, but I accept your appology




C.

SpareJoker wrote:

CArlight1958 wrote:Just curious to hear how the long timer's keep themselves interested, & motivated.

One word: Perfection

I've spent pretty much the last 10 years studying material from one author, and one author alone. I constantly strive for perfection in everything I do. It takes time, but time I have.

Once you have a few tricks under your belt the next step is to develop an act, where an act is defined as a series of routines with a rising dramatic curve. An act can be comprised of as little as 3 routines (opener, presentational showpiece, closer)

So, you'll need a good opener, a quick (ideally visual) effect that requires little from the audience. The idea is to get your audiences attention. You then need to follow up with a series of varied routines (i.e. not 5 pick-a-card tricks in a row), ending on a strong (ideally your strongest routine) closer.

This will give your practice and rehersal some focus. I have found that it can also pay dividens in the technical department, as the act structure may allow you to perform routines that you have previously excluded due to the routine requiring a set-up of some kind.

An example of this is 'Jumping Gemini', followed by 'Ultimate Fusion'. The fusion effect requires a gaffed card to be added to the deck.

I start with the deck in the box, with the gaffed card on top, the flap of the box being underneath the top (gaffed) card. When I open the card box, I squeeze the sides of the card box, causing the top card to bow inwards. This allows me to remove the rest of the pack, leaving the gaffed card behind in the box. I then close and table the box to my right.

I hand the cards out for shuffling, then I go into JG, but just before doing so I put the cards in the box, such that the gaff is on the bottom, explaining that sometimes when I perform this particular piece, people sometimes think I'm somehow switching cards with the deck (this is the motivation for putting the deck back in the box).

Once JG is concluded, I remove the cards from the box, add the 4 JG cards back to the deck. A quick tabled riffle-shuffle (with bottom-stock control) and I'm ready to begin Ultimate Backoff with a deck that spectators themselves have shuffled.

This is just one example of the many things that can be done beyond just performing 'a few tricks'.

Hope this helps,

Ade.

Thanks SJ, as ever, very good advice.

Better than being told to go away for a couple of years, & read a book.

CArl...

CArlight1958 wrote:

mrz0mbie wrote:Fair play mate. I think you'd be very silly to claim you've done all there is to do.

Where on earth in my post did I suggest I had, but I accept your appology




C.

You never, otherwise my post would read "You are silly to say" not you would be silly, if you did.

Point being why worry about what you do once you've done it all, if you're never going to have it all done?

CArlight1958 wrote:Just curious to hear how the long timer's keep themselves interested, & motivated.

Funnily enough, I don't find that adding effects to my list keeps me motivated. I have a core set of routines that I rely on, and it's the reactions I receive that keep me interested. The effects are for them, not for me

Long time magicians and professionals keep it fresh by performing for the lay audience. For that type of magician the interest comes from the audience not the effect. It is about communication, interaction, bringing a smile. Sounds corny but it is true. In this case one doesn't have to keep learning new effects. They perfect the handfull they have settled on and the rest is all performance.

The magician that performes for friends and family constantly has to come up with new material. The old saying is very true, "You either need new tricks or new friends" Very quickly this type of magician can become very discouraged and have the feeling of 'been there, done that' very quickly because the truth of the matter is, it is all the same. This type of magician is more interested in method than effect, more interested in effect then presentation and more interested in the trick then the actual magic. Remember the magic happens in the mind of the spectator. The trick is in the mind of the magician.

Also why are you limiting yourself to 'top books' how do you even define a 'top book'? Perhaps you mean popular books? Because if so then you are missing a wealth of information and are pretty much limiting yourself.

A wise man once said, Knowledge is limited, Imagination is infinite.