Hello thanks for reading this. I am trying to learn some new card tricks that don't involve gimmicks and big set ups. Basically I need advice on DVD"s that teach you tricks that you can do with just any normal deck of cards. I know of ellusionist's how to perform street magic and the Ninja DVD's and I also know of oz pearlmans born to perform and also the five card college DVD's. I am looking for only DVDs not books but DVD's just like the ones I listed above so I can perform many tricks even if I left my deck at home and I have to use a normal deck. Thanks a lot guys I appreciate it !
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Need advice thank you
- Thread starter Turbay_Travis
- Start date
If you honestly want to learn card magic you need this thing called a BOOK. . . Royal Road to Card Magic in this case from which you'll learn the basic mechanics of doing proper card magic vs. paying inflated prices for DVDs that give you maybe a dozen individual tricks.
Learn the foundations to the magic you wish to do and you will excel; this is accomplished by taking the more challenging and proven path.
Learn the foundations to the magic you wish to do and you will excel; this is accomplished by taking the more challenging and proven path.
Books are wonderful because you get more information for your dollar, but some people are more visual and/or hands-on learners who will learn more quickly and deeply if they can be shown something step-by-step with a teacher in front of them. For those of us who can't afford or find a live magic teacher, video learning is the next best thing. Personally, I learn using both and do best when I have a video that has a PDF or book with it.
Many (if not most) of the card sleights I use personally are taught to some degree on either Ninja or Army of 52. Army of 52 is about gaff cards, but you need sleight of hand to make those work, and some of it is pretty knuckle-busting. Ninja is just a great little sleight kit that will give you a lot of room to grow if you already know some basic card sleights. Those are the two biggest card DVDs I have, but I've heard good things about both of the Crash Course DVDs as well. The Foundation series looks pretty solid, and that's available right here on Theory11. Try to stay away from anything that only teaches one trick while you're starting out. You'll learn some great sleights for that one trick perhaps, but doing that won't give you a feel for how to use those sleights in an individual way for original material.
Books are great for quick reference even if you're a video person, so I still recommend picking up Royal Road and/or Mark Wilson's Complete Course (that thing is my magic bible), but if you like to reinforce your learning through video teaching and can afford to do it, don't let anyone shame you for it. A well-produced magic video is the closest thing I've experienced to a live magic lesson if you pick the right ones.
Many (if not most) of the card sleights I use personally are taught to some degree on either Ninja or Army of 52. Army of 52 is about gaff cards, but you need sleight of hand to make those work, and some of it is pretty knuckle-busting. Ninja is just a great little sleight kit that will give you a lot of room to grow if you already know some basic card sleights. Those are the two biggest card DVDs I have, but I've heard good things about both of the Crash Course DVDs as well. The Foundation series looks pretty solid, and that's available right here on Theory11. Try to stay away from anything that only teaches one trick while you're starting out. You'll learn some great sleights for that one trick perhaps, but doing that won't give you a feel for how to use those sleights in an individual way for original material.
Books are great for quick reference even if you're a video person, so I still recommend picking up Royal Road and/or Mark Wilson's Complete Course (that thing is my magic bible), but if you like to reinforce your learning through video teaching and can afford to do it, don't let anyone shame you for it. A well-produced magic video is the closest thing I've experienced to a live magic lesson if you pick the right ones.
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Just a note - The light pink you're using looks great and really legible on forums like Ellusionist - but here on Theory11 I can't read it unless I have your entire post highlighted.
"Visual learning" is a widely abused term which does not mean what most people claim it does. It does not mean that one has to learn by watching. It means one processes information in a visual way - imagining the information in front of them, associating it with visual cues, etc. Which actually means, for a "Visual learner", books are a better way to learn because they force you to internalize and visualize the move or trick before you can even begin practicing it.
Videos have their place - particularly for the inexperienced magician who hasn't built up the skill in visualizing a move from text. However, learning solely from videos will drastically limit your abilities whereas learning solely from books will not. Most of what's on video today is rehashed material from books that have been in print for decades or longer, and it's only a small percentage of what's in print in books. And the books are usually cheaper. For instance - Take the information in Crash Course 1 & 2, and Ninja 1 & 2. Pretty much everything in those videos is in Royal Road to Card Magic for what - 1/6th the price?
And to top that off - learning from a DVD tends to encourage people to copy the teacher. They don't have any separation between the method and the script. Just look at YouTube and start counting up how many people are copying Daniel Garcia, Wayne Houchin, Brad Christian, Justin Miller, Daniel Madison, Dee Christopher, etc. All the currently popular guys have inspired their own armies of clones. A book makes it far easier to look at the method by itself without much influence from the teacher's script.
"Visual learning" is a widely abused term which does not mean what most people claim it does. It does not mean that one has to learn by watching. It means one processes information in a visual way - imagining the information in front of them, associating it with visual cues, etc. Which actually means, for a "Visual learner", books are a better way to learn because they force you to internalize and visualize the move or trick before you can even begin practicing it.
Videos have their place - particularly for the inexperienced magician who hasn't built up the skill in visualizing a move from text. However, learning solely from videos will drastically limit your abilities whereas learning solely from books will not. Most of what's on video today is rehashed material from books that have been in print for decades or longer, and it's only a small percentage of what's in print in books. And the books are usually cheaper. For instance - Take the information in Crash Course 1 & 2, and Ninja 1 & 2. Pretty much everything in those videos is in Royal Road to Card Magic for what - 1/6th the price?
And to top that off - learning from a DVD tends to encourage people to copy the teacher. They don't have any separation between the method and the script. Just look at YouTube and start counting up how many people are copying Daniel Garcia, Wayne Houchin, Brad Christian, Justin Miller, Daniel Madison, Dee Christopher, etc. All the currently popular guys have inspired their own armies of clones. A book makes it far easier to look at the method by itself without much influence from the teacher's script.
I have a LOT of books on magic. A LOT. I have read a LOT of books on magic...
While learning from books is essentially the BEST way to learn, (cost per trick on a book vs a DVD or D/L is drastic), it's not the ONLY way to learn. It's an interesting topic for sure. Whenever someone asks for advice on learning, magicians (especially old school ones) will almost always point to books. There are very few who will tell someone to stay AWAY from books. (I know of one name RIGHT now who will tell you that books are the devil, even his own...lol)
As long as the material is coming from a reputable source, there is nothing wrong with exploring various methods from which to learn magic. Technology is pushing everything forward, yet magicians seem to want to ONLY hold on to what only worked in the past.
I'm not saying to stay away from books. That is ridiculous. But at the same time, don't discredit some of the really good DVD sets that are out there too.
While learning from books is essentially the BEST way to learn, (cost per trick on a book vs a DVD or D/L is drastic), it's not the ONLY way to learn. It's an interesting topic for sure. Whenever someone asks for advice on learning, magicians (especially old school ones) will almost always point to books. There are very few who will tell someone to stay AWAY from books. (I know of one name RIGHT now who will tell you that books are the devil, even his own...lol)
As long as the material is coming from a reputable source, there is nothing wrong with exploring various methods from which to learn magic. Technology is pushing everything forward, yet magicians seem to want to ONLY hold on to what only worked in the past.
I'm not saying to stay away from books. That is ridiculous. But at the same time, don't discredit some of the really good DVD sets that are out there too.
Here's the problem. What if you REALLY love magic. What if you REALLY want to learn. So you buy some books. You read the books...you LEARN the sleights. But, what happens if you don't know how to act. What happens if you don't know how to write a script? etc, etc?
For those that don't have that natural ability, you are not going to be very entertaining. Just because you like magic and are good at doing various sleights, does not make you a good performer. I don't care HOW many times you have read the Fitzke trilogy. A book can NOT tell you how to entertain.
Neither can watching someone else. BUT...what it CAN teach you is timing. It CAN teach you about misdirection the way it's SUPPOSED to be done. It CAN teach you audience management. So I disagree completely. Life is all about copying. It's the ones who chose to take it and make it their own that will be the stand out...
There are books on how to write scripts there are books on showmanship. You could also do what I did and take some classes and join the community theater group to learn from others on top of the books you pick up. Most of the time the classes are free and the books can be found at the library.
You are correct, there are books on those topics. 2 great books come to mind as well...
I have said SEVERAL times that learning how to be a magician takes more than just reading/watching material on magic. Study sales, and most importantly, study acting. I used to teach improv and sketch comedy as well as character creation and even then, there were people who were just not cut out to be an actor/performer...no matter the love they have for the art.
The same holds true for magic as well. There are naturally gifted performers and then some who have had to work on it to be great. But there are some you just watch and say to yourself..."Man, that was just...bad". And I am talking magic aside.
Okay, the whole thread seems to divert towards books or DVDs debate. Back to the point.
You want a book, Royal Road to Card Magic can teach you loads.
You want DVDs, go for Paul Wilson's DVD adaptation which goes into length.
Lots of impromptu stuff there.
Also I read a review at The magic cafe about Ammar's easy to master card miracles DVD which mentioned a lot of impromptu material. Was not able to get the product but I suppose its worth checking out considering Ammar's brand.
Also if you are looking for impromptu material in general, check out A DVD called Anytime Anywhere which is completely based on the premise of being able to do tricks anywhere. Again, I have not checked it out and cannot guarantee the quality.
And if you can look through three thousand stones to find one gem, go look at Sankey's stuff. He has some great impromptu effects. Remember, I said some
You want a book, Royal Road to Card Magic can teach you loads.
You want DVDs, go for Paul Wilson's DVD adaptation which goes into length.
Lots of impromptu stuff there.
Also I read a review at The magic cafe about Ammar's easy to master card miracles DVD which mentioned a lot of impromptu material. Was not able to get the product but I suppose its worth checking out considering Ammar's brand.
Also if you are looking for impromptu material in general, check out A DVD called Anytime Anywhere which is completely based on the premise of being able to do tricks anywhere. Again, I have not checked it out and cannot guarantee the quality.
And if you can look through three thousand stones to find one gem, go look at Sankey's stuff. He has some great impromptu effects. Remember, I said some
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I don't want to derail this thread too much getting into theory. Perhaps we should make a new thread, Mike? I will say this, though:
I prefer books and I understand that some people prefer videos. Personally, I think videos cannot convey enough information. Restricting oneself to one or the other is a mistake. Take all the information and distill it into the best show you can possibly create.
But, and I believe this completely, the ONLY way to become a good performer is to get out in front of audiences and perform. No amount of academic knowledge will be enough until you get on stage (whatever your stage is) and actually DO it. I cannot count how many times I thought I had something amazing which bombed upon the first performance.
To that end, and to wrestle this post back to the subject of this thread, don't worry about learning a huge amount of tricks. Learn some principles and use those, coupled with the ability to control an audience and create a miracle out of anything, and you'll never need to learn new tricks. A force, a control to the top, a control to the bottom, two palms (I use gambler's cop and the classic palm), a peek, and a variety of false shuffles and cuts. That is literally all you need to know sleight-wise. You can create endless tricks with these simple sleights and a knowledge of routining.
More importantly than learning tricks, learn to create magical moments from anything. Don't focus on tricks.
"Is it magical, or merely impossible?"
I prefer books and I understand that some people prefer videos. Personally, I think videos cannot convey enough information. Restricting oneself to one or the other is a mistake. Take all the information and distill it into the best show you can possibly create.
But, and I believe this completely, the ONLY way to become a good performer is to get out in front of audiences and perform. No amount of academic knowledge will be enough until you get on stage (whatever your stage is) and actually DO it. I cannot count how many times I thought I had something amazing which bombed upon the first performance.
To that end, and to wrestle this post back to the subject of this thread, don't worry about learning a huge amount of tricks. Learn some principles and use those, coupled with the ability to control an audience and create a miracle out of anything, and you'll never need to learn new tricks. A force, a control to the top, a control to the bottom, two palms (I use gambler's cop and the classic palm), a peek, and a variety of false shuffles and cuts. That is literally all you need to know sleight-wise. You can create endless tricks with these simple sleights and a knowledge of routining.
More importantly than learning tricks, learn to create magical moments from anything. Don't focus on tricks.
"Is it magical, or merely impossible?"
I don't know if you are a great performer or not since I haven't seen you perform.
But I can say you are the best damn philosopher on this forum.
Respect.
I can tell you. I'm not a great performer. I think I'm pretty decent, but I would never call myself "great". There's so many better performers than me. I'm ok with that - I am constantly improving my craft and one day I hope to be able to consider myself great.
I don't know about that. But I thank you sincerely for the compliment.