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Review: Move Mastery Vol 1

I've had this CD for a while now and I really enjoy watching it and seeing if there are new things I can pick up from it. Peter is a genius when it comes to engineering sleight of hand, not to mention the fact that he does everything perfectly. So here's the review:

Available from: http://www.peterduffie.com/

Format: VCD with html menus, the CD is set out into a performance clip for a move and then the explantation clip for the move. He keeps it short, the camera is focused on the bottom half of his torso. The camera quality is fine but their is a slight buzz in the audio.

Content:

Fasteal #1

Peter had his move on his website for some time, and it drove me nuts! I could not work out for the life of me how he got the card into his pocket! Friends told me it was duplicates and all the other magician b******t when they can't explain something. This move was the main reason for me to buy this CD. I was not dissapointed. The explaination is clear and concise and the method is as exciting and fresh as I hoped.

Fasteal #2

This move is very similiar to the one above, but it is a little tighter and is a mixture of two well known moves. The second move is something I've studied for a long time and so this was a great suprise for me to find on the CD. Peter performs it perfectly in the performance section without any of the usual tells this move suffers. This is a really clever application of another move that can be used in a lot more moves. It's taught well, from the opposite angle it is performed from so everything is crystal clear.

Fasteal #3

Peter gives thanks to Roy Walton for this move and also explains how it was inspired by a Cy Enfield comment. Again, this is a combination of two moves wonderfully engineered together by Peter. Pure economy of motion and everything fits together really well. This really is the fastest of the three fast steals and perhaps the easiest also. Make no mistake, these are essential studying for anyone interesting in the card to pocket plot.

The Blink Change

Has to be seen to be fully appreciated. It looks wonderful in Peters hands but can be angle sensitive. Not something I have worked on personally but it does not detract from its merit. It's an excellent colour change and uses a card from the bottom of the deck, which sometimes colour changes are not ideal for doing (more suited to the top card).

Centre Block Palm

This is a very knacky move and not something I've been able to consistently hit yet. It looks great once mastered, but it is definately not easy! It requires a very sensitive touch and good dexterity of the fingers.

Palm Add - Bottom
Palm Add - Top

Two methods for replacing palmed cards; something which is often neglected in magicians studies. They all know how to get the cards out of the deck but putting them back in they often struggle or have awful tells. These are two tidy ideas from Peter on how replace on top or bottom with one or multiple cards. Very practical and can be easily learnt.

Fan Pass

Not a fan pass in the true sense of the word, but it uses a fan as a "closer" for the pass. It works well, and covers one of the more abused passes well.

No Table Seconds

A handy method for dealing seconds in your own hand as if counting off cards. If I had an application for it I would definately learn this. Unfortunately, as with all false deals, I rarely do have a use for it and have much more things to learn that I would! Well taught, with a good close up on the hands.

Rotary Transformation

A real fooler of a colour change that leaves you clean. Again, another that needs to be seen to be appreciated.

Riffle Pop!

Unfortunately, this is something that I didn't like on the CD. There are many pop out moves available (Piet Fortons, JK Hartmans and Aaron Fishers to name a few of the more noteable ones) and this is Peters contribution. I didn't like this because it bends the cards. I'm not a fan of anyting that bends, crimps or damages playing cards because I like to work from a striaght, ungaffed deck and do alot of faro work. It may prove to be of interest for some one looking to learn a pop out move but this wasn't for me.

Explosion!

This uses the move from above, so again this isn't for me. This is a four card production that is definately cute.

4 Ace Production #1

This is a very unique production combining alot of ideas. The end product is the four aces proturding at all angles from the deck. Very cool.

4 Ace Production #2

This is sleightly incorrectly named as you don't produce four aces, so it's not something you could do then go into a four ace trick. You produce one Ace, and then change it into the other 3 aces one at a time.

Palm to Palm Transfer

Killer piece of sleight of hand, a method for transferring cards from one hand to the other hand without the usually "washing" c**p. The cards are in palm in your right hand, you pass the deck from your left to your right hand and the cards are now in palm in the left hand. It's that quick, it's that clean and it really is the best palm to palm transfer I've ever come across.

Bonus Item:
Two-handed Pass

I wasn't convinced by this for a few reasons. The first being Peter previously taught me his handling on the Fred Robinson riffle pass, which I think is a far superior method to this one. The second is the break. I don't like the method for holding the break in this, but that's a personal thing and if some one is looking for a fast, relatively easy two handed shift then this is worth looking at.

All in all this is well worth buying for any serious student of card magic looking for some cute utility moves to tidy up moves they already do. The steals are the best versions of which I've ever seen. The Palm to Palm transfer is again the best version I've ever seen. There are also other ideas in engineering and execution of the moves that will enhance moves you already do. Good job Peter!


Note: I posted this on Magic Bunny but no one was interested, hopefully some one might find it of use on here.

b*ll*cks..theres another £15 away... great review shaun ..lol