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Hey, i have been into magic for a while and can do a few decent card tricks, i also have other tricks such as the 'pound and penny' and the pen thru note and other stuff. i have recently bought a magic book with alod of tricks in and am going through all of those.
i wandered if anybody could reccomend anything i need to know or do about magic. It's sought of like a big hobbie, i show it to my friends and family but if i get good i might just try tricks on the public.
I dunno, so any tips of helpfull advise of any kind? Wether it is buying something, looking at a site or knowing anything that could help me become alot better at magic.

Thanks in advance.

--Delude

If you want to get a lot better at card magic try Born to Perform (link in signature). It's a beginner to medium DVD that teaches all the sleights from basics (pinkie break) to advanced (Classic pass). Have a look at the reviews to see if it's too easy for you though...

What commission?

Kati

I don't think it is too easy for anybody. It really helped me and the routines on that DVD are brilliant, and I have been doing magic since I was small.

Comission? I'm not great at magic because i don't know loads at the minute. I have 'The practical encyclopedia of magic' book that has all of the stuff on the dvd and i can do most of them. It has self working tricks such as 'do as i do' and i can perform those easily and get great reactions. I do need some help with my snap change though, in another post of mine I'm asking for help so if you think you can, please search my name and have a look at it.

Thanks

Delude wrote:Commission?

Sorry, inside joke. I really like Born to Perform and I recommend it a lot (really, a lot). This has led to the rumour that I get a commission from it, which is, of course, totally untrue.

Delude wrote:I'm not great at magic because i don't know loads at the minute.

Not knowing many tricks doesn't say anything about how good you are at magic...it's the performance that counts.

Delude wrote:I have 'The practical encyclopedia of magic' book that has all of the stuff on the dvd and i can do most of them.

Are you sure? Can you do a good top control? Force? AC routine?

Delude]It has self working tricks such as 'do as i do' and i can perform those easily and get great reactions.[/quote]

Even though self-working tricks are very good I still think it's worth having a decent arsenal of sleights - e.g. a simple top control can do wonders fora trick, and a DL can provide the fuel for an entire AC routine. In other words, I still recommend Born To Perform even if you have a good stock of self-workers.

[quote="Delude wrote:I do need some help with my snap change though, in another post of mine I'm asking for help so if you think you can, please search my name and have a look at it.

Why are you learning a snap change? Not to be rude or anything, but I don't think that you need to be able to do it. You can easily make do with the Erdnase and possibly the Shapeshifter - the snap change IMHO is not one of the best changes around as it needs a big cleanup and is very angly.

Kati

Okay, i can do Dls quite easily, i still need to work on forces but the book has a load of sleights and some forces such as 'hindu force', 'double cut' 'run back and control', 'overhand control', 'false cuts', 'slip force', 'cut deeper force' 'cross cut force' and other techniques for shuffeling and basic card flourishes. I will try to learn everything in the book but do you think you can tell me where i can find out about the tricks you mentioned above.

Thanks

--Delude

Ok Delude,

Just been reminded by posting on another thread the most important piece of advice I can give to any beginning magician:

ssssshhhhh!

Remember to try and keep the secrets you learn secret! You probably do this anyway, but in everyones eagerness to tell you about books, dvds etc, this fundamental point often gets overlooked and I thought that for once I'd just state it.
However they plead, avoid telling punters how a trick is done, because it'll just make the effect look cheap, and will reduce your ability to baffle them.
'nuff said

Can i ask which tricks you think i should buy? I nafew days i'll have about £18, i don't want a really easy rubbish trick, i'd love one that gets great reactions from an audience. Can i ask how hard it is to use the Black Tiger Gaff Deck. There are some amazing videos using this, i just wandered how good at sleights you need to be, as no instructions come with it at all.

Now there's a question!!!

hmmm. To begin with don't forget you'll need a normal Black Tiger as well. Personally I love my Ghost Gaff, there are tricks that you can do with very few sleights but it's an imagination thing really and will take a bit of brain/presentation work on your part. The pack is a selection of fine tools more than a set of ready made tricks.

If on the other hand you're looking for a ready made trick may I suggest one of Sankey's many mini miracles. 'In a flash' is a favourite of lots of folks and has a great name (although it does require Flash Paper which isn't supplied and shouldn't be sold to under 18's like yourself) also loads of people are into 'Nailed' at the moment (read the review on this forum), my personal favourite Sankey effect is 'Juicy Fruit' but it does need updating for the 21st century... It really depends what you fancy doing and where you want to do it. Any trick can be a miracle in the right hands with the right presentation, so don't dismiss stuff that may appear simple in it's workings as this will allow you to hone your presentation skills while not worrying about your sleights too much (which you can continue to practice).

The major downfall of packet tricks is you might get a startling effect but you may only get one for your dollar whereas if you buy a DVD/video (Crash Course by Ellusionist for example) you get lots of good effects for the same price and you're technical skill will advance faster (provided you practice), also you can then use these new found talents to great effect when you do get round to buying that Black Tiger Gaff Deck!!

Thanks For that I was wandering, which do you think would be better, a PK ring or a raven. I dunno which will serve me better.

A good book or DVD would probably serve you better