Justification for your sleights...

[Dima]

Interesting topic of discussion guys.

I remember Lennart Green talking about the way he covers suspicious moves like his Mirror Shuffle technique and the Happy Birthday shuffle. He attributes a different persona and becomes a character, he then describes what that character is doing through his own actions. For example "Then the gambler took the deck and started shuffling slowly and maybe looking through the cards, then he suddenly started shuffling very quickly..."

I have since done this many times and it helps a lot when trying to cover difficult moves. Obviously don't over do it.

The only time a magician didn't see my awful pass was when i covered it by saying "No strange, suspicious moves like these!"

 

[The Tumbleweed]

Interesting topic of discussion guys.

Yeah, it's good to see a really good discussion. I'm really learning stuff here.

 

[mini magician]

About time you showed up!!
Yeah, at the end I wished he'd shut up about it all

Hehe yer overall he probably spoke about it for about 45 mins lol but yes this topic is interesting. Oh and Remember Chuck Tumble ha

 

[firmz]

Just read Ascanio's 'The Structural Conception of Magic'

It's really more an issue of timing and principles such as In-transit actions rather than patter alone.

Reading this book and applying the theory contained within will make you a better magician.

 

[Sam Hardy]

Thanks for the wonderful responses guys, some of your points have been fantastic.

I think one thing I've definitely noticed is a slight misinterpretation of my point. Although I do completely agree with the fact that suspicious motions can be covered effectively with patter like this, this wasn't the topic I was wholly addressing. In fact, on that subject, before I move on, I think pulling off a noisy or awkward slight shouldn't be completely covered with the patter - factors like skill, audience management, angles and misdirection should all come into play too.

Originally, I meant to post about how you can take your magic and elevate it, using the patter I've been talking about. If you think of yourself as a naive spectator, some magic routines can be quite confusing. Take a Reset routine, for example. When it's not presented properly, sometimes the plot line of the trick can be misleading, and when those cards transpose, the extent of the spectator's amazement is stunted by their confusion.

So, when you are performing, and you thoroughly explain to the spectators what is happening - at most points in the performance, (justification for your sleights), it creates a better sense of understanding for your audience, thus reducing the confusion and increasing the astonishment.

When you bulk out this patter (as I mentioned in my original post), your magic becomes so much more... magic.

The subject of disguising weak points in a routine with this idea is something I was going to mention and develop too, but it seems it's something that has been picked up by everyone here, which is great.

Again, thanks for your time, and I'm still very interested on everyone's thoughts on this.

-Sam H