New to mentalism?

[UnknownMagician93]

Alright,

So I have been looking recently to expand my magic from just cards. I have been looking into some danny garcia stuff for coins and rubberbands, but I was alos wondedring about mentalism. What good products are out there to help you get into mentalism?

I've heard about 13 steps to mentalism, what is everyones thoughts on that?


Thanks,

Dan

 

[RDChopper]

Alright,

So I have been looking recently to expand my magic from just cards. I have been looking into some danny garcia stuff for coins and rubberbands, but I was alos wondedring about mentalism. What good products are out there to help you get into mentalism?

I've heard about 13 steps to mentalism, what is everyones thoughts on that?


Thanks,

Dan

Dont take this in a bad way, but here is my opinion.


Have you already mastered what you already bought? I still remember you buying "Impossible card magic" and "By forces unseen", its my personal opinion, but I find it kinda disrepectful to buy those two gems and not give them their proper practice, I mean, You have these two gems, I saw you posting a Flourishes video (wich means you spent some time practicing flourishes) and now you want to go into mentalism???

I do not know much about mentalism but if there is one thing that I can tell you about it its that it deserves its time, its practice and if you just continue buying stuff like that none of your material will be truly polished.


Its been a year since I bought "the Paper engine" and Im still working with it, give each thing its respect and time.

 

[visualartist]

One does not have to almost completely master one genre to do another.
If you want to do real mentalism and well..get Fundamentals by bob cassidy(?)
13 steps is just tricks and doesnt teach you HOW to perform mentalism


However,I do agree with RD on practicing a few things at a time. You can mix it up but dont keep buying and buying crap.

 

[D ICE R]

Mentalism is a truly different genre of magic. There are so many differences between it and traditional magic, and Bob Cassidy is one of if not the best at describing those and how to apply them to your magic.

 

[RDChopper]

Mentalism is a truly different genre of magic. There are so many differences between it and traditional magic, and Bob Cassidy is one of if not the best at describing those and how to apply them to your magic.

I would also like to recommend Kenton Knepper, good stuff .

 

[D ICE R]

Kenton's work is like a introduction to that final 25%. How to polish the routine and take it to the next level. Paul Brook's book Alchemical Tools is unreal in that regard as it does everything Kenton's work wants to and much more. IN the example effects there is a 20 something page write up of an effect that can be described in two words. But book is for those people who want to be take mentalism as a serious art form and give it the space it deserves.

 

[visualartist]

Also,dont just stay in the T11 circle of products. Look up Sean Fields,Mindlapse,papercrane,Magic geek.com,etc.

 

[praetoritevong]

Ignore the ^. If you're serious about getting started in Mentalism, you need a good foundation. Or else you're just a magician performing mental magic. Usually, badly.

Now, I've got nothing against Sean Fields, or PaperCrane, etc., who all have wonderful products. But again. It's the difference between learning mental tricks, and learning Mentalism. There's a world of difference.

If you're serious about Mentalism, the best and most recommended would be Bob Cassidy's Fundamentals and Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism. Fundamentals, for, well, exactly that. Laying the groundwork. 13 Steps for its comprehensive coverage of Mentalism in general.

Kenton, and Brook, both amazing, but save it. Save it for when you can appreciate it and make the most of it.

It's like when you first start out in card magic - you get some stuff from YouTube, download some more things, you know, you get all these tricks. Then you really discover card magic, you discover where you start learning properly, and suddenly, you realise how bad those kids on YouTube actually were. You realise what truly matters about magic, how to make it more powerful, and you start learning the real tools you need to improve your magic exponentially.

This is one of those times. Skip the aimless effects, and get a good starting point. Learn about mentalism if you really want to know more, because if you can't perform mentalism, you butcher the effects. You'll save six months at least in money and practice, and be a better performer for it.

 

[visualartist]

Ignore the ^. If you're serious about getting started in Mentalism, you need a good foundation. Or else you're just a magician performing mental magic. Usually, badly.

Now, I've got nothing against Sean Fields, or PaperCrane, etc., who all have wonderful products. But again. It's the difference between learning mental tricks, and learning Mentalism. There's a world of difference.

If you're serious about Mentalism, the best and most recommended would be Bob Cassidy's Fundamentals and Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism. Fundamentals, for, well, exactly that. Laying the groundwork. 13 Steps for its comprehensive coverage of Mentalism in general.

Kenton, and Brook, both amazing, but save it. Save it for when you can appreciate it and make the most of it.

It's like when you first start out in card magic - you get some stuff from YouTube, download some more things, you know, you get all these tricks. Then you really discover card magic, you discover where you start learning properly, and suddenly, you realise how bad those kids on YouTube actually were. You realise what truly matters about magic, how to make it more powerful, and you start learning the real tools you need to improve your magic exponentially.

This is one of those times. Skip the aimless effects, and get a good starting point. Learn about mentalism if you really want to know more, because if you can't perform mentalism, you butcher the effects. You'll save six months at least in money and practice, and be a better performer for it.

I actually did recommend Fundementals. He only needs to know about that book for now.
I talked about sean fields and papercrane because he wanted a variety of effects not just mentalism. Which is why he mentioned rubber bands and coin "stuff".

 

[praetoritevong]

Ah, I see - in that case I apologise unreservedly for misreading your post - since Sean Fields and PCP both have Mentalism orientated products, that was the conclusion I came to. I also interpreted his question differently, but no matter now. Again, my full apologies.

 

[romeo sierra]

If you're just starting out in mentalism, I would recommend getting Corinda and (if possible) take some sort of drama or acting course in school. Corinda was the only book on straight mentalism I ever had for a good ten years before I felt the need to start expanding my library. Although it's admittedly dry in language, it's one of the best resources for material and traditional techniques in mentalism. Tony Corinda was an influential figure in mentalism, and every professional performer I spoke with contends that it's the only book you need to make a living.

Mentalism is typically very, very simple in terms of techniques and mechanics, but the most difficult aspect of it is actually being able to pull it off. That's why I recommend taking an acting course of some sort to supplement the lessons found in Corinda's 13 Steps. I was always really interested in theater growing up, so it more/less came naturally for me. I starred in high school productions, attended acting workshops in New York, and continued to pursue theater in college. I can safely say that I

I'm pretty heavy into mentalism these days, and primarily perform mentalism when I work paid gigs. If you're interested, we can talk shop in private and I can recommend a few other resources as well.

RS.

 

[tally-ho]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned annemann yet. Also, if you're serious, purchase 13 steps and fundamentals.

 

[visualartist]

If you're just starting out in mentalism, I would recommend getting Corinda and (if possible) take some sort of drama or acting course in school.
RS.

Great advice.
Id recommend getting in acting courses if he were just to be a magician too.
I see most magicians these days using the "be yourself" idea as an excuse of not wanting to act in their performances.

 

[UnknownMagician93]

Dont take this in a bad way, but here is my opinion.


Have you already mastered what you already bought? I still remember you buying "Impossible card magic" and "By forces unseen", its my personal opinion, but I find it kinda disrepectful to buy those two gems and not give them their proper practice, I mean, You have these two gems, I saw you posting a Flourishes video (wich means you spent some time practicing flourishes) and now you want to go into mentalism???

I do not know much about mentalism but if there is one thing that I can tell you about it its that it deserves its time, its practice and if you just continue buying stuff like that none of your material will be truly polished.


Its been a year since I bought "the Paper engine" and Im still working with it, give each thing its respect and time.

Iknow what you are saying and I agree whole-heartedly but I only practice material that I would use in performance. So from ICM I took about... 3 tricks and from BFU only one. But I do spend alot of time practicing from this book because all the material is very original.


Last night I actually thought about this and decided mentalism isn't for me because as RD said, I have just recently started flourishing so I'm busy enough for now.

Thanks for all your help though everyone!

Dan