I am kind of mediocre...

[RDChopper]

Well, this is oficially my first thread, and my first post, so don't be to harsh with me....


I started performing magic like 4 or 6 months ago.... I learned the basics like the ACR, Triumph, Two card monte... well some other tricks too, the thing is...

I think I am mediocre with my magic, why??? Haven't you heard a lot of guys say,"hey great man, that's awesome!"but deep inside you, you know you can perform better???...or that you have a lot of sleights, like passes or DL, but your hunger for more and more, make's you learn them, and stop practicing them because you are onto another trick(or effect), well I know this is not the case with most of you guys, but recently I stopped myself and got to the point where I am decided that I dont wanna learn anymore effects(yet.)I am going to go back to the basics and start practicing my pass and DL to the point where I can make a simple trick like a color change into something amasing...

I know there isnt' much of a point here, just want to share with you guys what I am right now as a performer and what I want to become... By the way, I just started XCM( I like it a lot) do you guys have any tips on where to begin???(I'm having a hard time with Brian tudor's "what the *** happened to sybil") thanks.

 

[Sean_Raf]

First off, welcome to the best bit of the forums, taking part!!! Also, I know what you mean, sometimes it feels like I should know more but I know full well I've got enough material to do an hours length show if I had to.

I recently decided to take each of my books and put together just one routine made out of the effects I loved to do. Haven't quite done it yet, but it's a work in progress.

Regarding going back to basics, yep, I've done that too, I'm constantly practicing the basics when I'm just lounging about the house, DL's, Passes, Steals and Palms; all the time. You can get a lot of mileage out of the simple ones, some effects these days have become so convoluted with an intricate method that the effect gets lost; as magicians we tend to be able to follow things quite easily but a layman can sometimes have trouble remembering what card they picked.

Exempli Gratia

One of the strongest effects I know is to have someone name any card and without spreading through the deck and looking at it naming other cards I think the spectator "had in mind", I proceed to pull it from my pocket; so devilishly simple, but has an impact on the spectator because it's easy to follow. Side note: I'm not saying that other card to pockets which do require spreading through the pack are inferior or anything of the sort, Ben Earl's I also love and perform if I'm not ready to go for the one I'd prefer to use.

If however I did a triumph with the spectator's thought of card and then revealed it along with it's three other mates (ooh idea in my head, thanks) which then showed that the deck was in fact blank and then showed that the card and it's mates were blank... Well, we can begin to see how (impressive it may be to us) confusing this might get to the spectator and their reaction may be something along the lines of "I thought of a card, then it was face up but there were four and the same card and then it was blank and so were they; it was cool but I didn't really get it." as opposed to "I named a card, it was in his pocket already and I'm still a bit amazed really."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Am I making sense or just rambling?

- Sean

 

[Steerpike]

You've reached a point where the material is up to scratch, but you need to start working on performance theory.

I know that sounds unbelievably dull on paper, but trust me, it's well worth the time you spend on it.

The root of it all is a quote from mentalist Bob Cassidy: Stay connected. You have to be able to engage people as a person and make them relate to you in some way. If you can be likeable, friendly, and memorable, people will sit and watch anything you have to offer.

I would recommend you look online for performance videos by guys like Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, The Amazing Jonathan, Bill Malone, Paul Gertner, and a few episodes of Celebracadabra. This will help you get a feel for a few different styles and also watch the masters at work. After you watch them a few times, you'll start to pick up on the little things they do in their body language and scripting.

Let me give you a couple to get you started:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GErpOl3KG_w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmFS4GRa-g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRoqpre7nnI

The third video is of Cyril Takayama, and I'm not sure if you're familiar with him. He speaks mostly in Japanese so unless you're bilingual you'll have to go by context. However, I include him because the language barrier forces you to pay closer attention to his demeanor, vocal tone, and body language.

 

[Sean_Raf]

The third video is of Cyril Takayama, and I'm not sure if you're familiar with him. He speaks mostly in Japanese so unless you're bilingual you'll have to go by context. However, I include him because the language barrier forces you to pay closer attention to his demeanor, vocal tone, and body language.

Juan Tamariz's videos are like that also, he speaks mostly Spanish but it is very easy to, "get the gist" (for want of a better word) and how well he connects with his spectators; One of the true masters and very enjoyable to watch.

Listen to Steerpike too, he knows his stuff, but don't tell him I said that... His head will a'splode.

- Sean

 

[Steerpike]

Listen to Steerpike too, he knows his stuff, but don't tell him I said that... His head will a'splode.

Nothing so dramatic. However, my ego is liable to grow legs and start attacking people.

 

[SorenErik]

Between all the different web sites it seems as if a new dvd is released every week or so. It is easy to get caught up in the desire to learn new effects. The mindset of "On to the next bigger and better thing!" takes over every magician at one point or another, especially in the beginning. It seems like you have reached the point where it is no longer about knowing how an effect is done, but being able to take an effect, make it fit your style, and have the ability to consistently perform it as perfect as possible. As Steerpike said, it is time to start working on performance theory. I have my own personal opinions on performance, as does everyone else. I think a great place to start is Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz. I only started reading it recently, but wish I had stumbled upon this book a couple of years ago. To me an effect is only as strong as it's performance. A backwards way of doing this is to go to youtube and type in the effects that you are working on. Watch a few different performances and break down what you liked and what you didn't like. You will find a lot of poor performances out there, but you will find some great ones as well.

 

[Squ!rrel]

I just started XCM( I like it a lot) do you guys have any tips on where to begin???(I'm having a hard time with Brian tudor's "what the *** happened to sybil") thanks.

The Sybil feels quite difficult at first, just keep doing it and it will get easier. Don't worry about doing it quickly, just make sure it's smooth.

If you want to get into XCM I would take a look at Xtreme Beginnerz by De'vo and Jerry Cestkowski.
The Encyclopedia of Card flourishes by Jerry Cestkowski is also a good start (although it is expensive)

If you want to learn the 2 handed cuts style then you might want to take a look at either The System or Disc 2 of The Trilogy by Dan and Dave or Dangerous: Volume 2 by Daniel Madison.

There's also some very good flourish tutorials available for free, here's some links.

http://uk.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=kevhonline
http://decknique.net/forums/28

 

[RDChopper]

Hey thanks!! I got the trilogy this past week so I started practicing, the "madonna" cut at the beggining of the jackson 5 wich is one of my favorites right now, I'm currently practicing th sybilism part of it... thanks guys.