talkmagic.co.uk

Hey guys !

I have always loved watching magic and now have decided I want to be behind the tricks, I was wondering if anybody had any advice for a newbie

I'm looking for things like;
Books
Specific cards slights
Tricks
Hints/Tips
Advice

Also I am quite interested in mentalism so any nuggets of information, advice or tricks would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance all !
Cadeleej

You should find the answers you need here:
ftopic11561.php

Cadeleej wrote:Hey guys !

I have always loved watching magic and now have decided I want to be behind the tricks, I was wondering if anybody had any advice for a newbie

I'm looking for things like;
Books
Specific cards slights
Tricks
Hints/Tips
Advice

Also I am quite interested in mentalism so any nuggets of information, advice or tricks would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance all !
Cadeleej

Welcome to the forum and the link soveda as given as advice is well worth looking at. may I say though when you say your looking for card sleights, tricks and hints you will get nothing. advice and tips yes, hints depending on topic for example performance, what to wear etc. But if your wanting to know how to do tricks and sleights which are basically one and the same you wont find the answer here, it is a fundamental rule of this site and most of magic not to reveal secrets. But by all means if you know a effect and want to learn it after mastering the basics then let us know and we can advice you on what to look at or what you need to do the effect.

A good place to start with as a true beginner, that I would personally recommend would be 'Ellusionist' just google the site and search for their own card and magic DVDs ( how to do streets magic, ninja , kard klub)

An impressive and interesting way to start your magic off .

Check out any of the books by Karl Fulves - simple to do routines but very effective!

For cards i'd strongly recommend Ninja 1 and Ninja 2, Crash course 1 and Crash course 2 all by ellusionist, and The royal road the card magic book!

Ahhhhh the crash course DVDs - well remembered saavenstreet!!

For a comprehensive and solid foundation in card magic, read Card College by Roberto Giobbi. It is a 5 volume set. Only buy one volume at a time, and take your time to work through it. You will have the best possible start in card magic.

I actually started using Mark Wilsons complete course in magic but I found the effects were a little dated and sometimes dry so I would recommend Joshua Jays complete course, great variety of effects (coins, cards, impromtu and bit of mentalism too)

Enjoy the journey !

Mark Wislon's Course in magic is the way to go. The effects are not 'dated' alternatly you can say all effects are dated because seriously the only thing that changes is the presentation. And presentation is on the shoulders of the performer not the effect.

Advantages to Mark Wilson's course.

Every move has an illustration which is very easy to follow. Easier than a DVD.

You get a well rounded eductation and if you use effects from different chapters you won't get pigeon holed into a specific genre of magic which will make you a well rounded magician and truly understand the craft.

The sleights taught are all basic and useful, not like many of the sleights taught elsewhere that don't have a lot of practicle value except sleights for sleights sake.

Each effect is put into the book to further your education in magic, not just learn trick after trick, sleight after sleight. In fact all the sleights taught in the book actually have good practicle effects attached to them. Rest assured to learn a sleight without an effect is a waste of time and energy. Find an effect you like and learn it, including gimmicks and sleights. Don't learn a bunch of method that you will never put into practice.

There is a good selection on magic that is almost automatic. Be sure to learn some of those so you can start performing right away. If you don't perform you won't ever get better. If you wait and try to learn the knuckle buckle stuff before you start performing you will never perform.

Along with Mark Wilson's book get yourself a hank of magicians rope, (cotton rope). A deck of cards, sponge balls and possibly a TT and you are off and running.

There is a section on magic with stuff you find around the house. And a section on stuff you can build cheaply. Always a great learning experience to learn how magic works and its base level.

The more time you spend around people who actually go out and perform for the lay audience and make a decent living at it, the more you will see they all have some very basic things in common. They love what they do. They don't perform a whole lot of things. Just a few easy to do effects. They focus on the audience.

Most important. Have fun.

I have to agree 100% with bmat, I honestly don't think that you can do better than Mark Wilson for a first book to teach you the basics.

As for the effects being dated and dry, just remember that an effect is only really as dated as the performance.

Brian has given excellent advice. When I started learning the craft (about 27 years ago) I learned from Royal Road to Card Magic, which I got on loan (repeatedly) from my local library. This is a great book and also quite an important one, as far as card magic goes. You can get a copy for around a tenner and they are widely available.

Mark Wilsons Complete Course in Magic was the first magic book I bought. I actually found it by chance in a local book store while shopping with my christmas money. This would have been the christmas of 87, I had just turned 11. I still have the book and it is something I continually go back to. As was mentioned it is very easy to follow and learn from and has a wide variety of material and ideas. You'll find it highly recommended by many on here, myself included.

Whatever you decide to get, if you're at all stuck or in need of help just let us know - we'll be happy to advise and point you in the right direction.

Welcome to the boards and to the craft.


Jim

My honest problem with the Mark Wilson book was that there was too many card effects. Because I was a beginner naivley I tried to learn every single effect and ending up half heartedley learning loads of different variations of card effects. Apart from that card section it is fabulous I just feel that a beginner should start on a book with only a few basic effects and dip into Mark Wilsons to compliment it.

Of course Mark Wilson book is great don't get me wrong

I found Royal Road to Card Magic's approach ideal for card stuff. The slow adding of techniques suited me very well.

Echoing the recommendation for Mark Wilson.

Joining a magic club as a novice and so seeing effects first hand in an environment where it's okay (depending on the club, of course) to say "Wow! Sorry, can you do that again but slower and show me how it works!" has also been very good for me.