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The Magic Cafe Forum Index :: Time after time :: Books or dvd's that give tips on effective practice habits (0 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

Good to here.
masterkiller
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I am finding it hard to stay motivated reharsing my routines...
Are there are any books or dvd's for that matter that may give me some tips on easing the sometimes arduos process of learning correct practice/working habits?
P,S:
I am not sure if this sounds logical at all but I thought I'd give it a try.
Jaz
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NJ, U.S.
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There have been some good reviews on "The Ostrich Factor - A Practice Guide for Magicians" by Gerald Edmundson.
Some reviews:
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=110

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=37

The book:
http://www.geraldedmundson.com/tof1/bookorder.htm
masterkiller
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I should get my hands on that book as it seems quite promising...thanks.
Gerald
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Jaz,
Thank you for mentioning The Ostrich Factor. More reviews by Mike Close in MAGIC, David Regal in GENII, MUM, THE LINKING RING and others can be found at:

http://www.geraldedmundson.com/tof1/TOFReviews.htm

Thanks again!
Gerald
eddieloughran
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Al Schneider's booklets , and to a lesser extent his books, go into great detail on practising. He works out practise drills, and every detail has been thought through.
For example his vanishes run to about 60 pages each.

It can be a bit much, and there is some duplication,
but I've learned a lot from them !
John Tudor
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Columbia, SC
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Try Eugene Burger's Mastering the Art of Magic, also (outside of magic) Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werther.
"Ars longa, vita brevis." (Life is short, the art so long to learn) -Hippocrates
John Tudor
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Correction, that's Kenny Werner
http://www.kennywerner.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Effortless-Mastery......6224003X

It's written for musicians, but has great application to magic.
"Ars longa, vita brevis." (Life is short, the art so long to learn) -Hippocrates
Gerald
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"The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance" by W. Timothy Gallwey is another good book outside the magic book genre that you find great ideas to help with practicing, rehearsing and performing.

Regards,
Gerald
John Tudor
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Gerald,
Gallway also has written one you should find - The Inner Game of Music , applying the same Inner Game principles to musical performance. Which, with a bit of imagination, is quite applicable to magic...
"Ars longa, vita brevis." (Life is short, the art so long to learn) -Hippocrates
Gerald
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John,
I'll have a look! Thanks for the info.

Regards,
Gerald
George Ledo
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As far as how much to practice, or how to stay focused on it...

Just do what actors do: think in terms of the goal. An actor's goal is to be perfect (or as close as he/she can come to it) when it comes time to be in front of the audience. That's it. That's what the rehearsals are for. Rehearsals are not an end in themselves: they're a means to an end. Rehearsing is not about the trip: it's about the destination.

Now, if people are willing to spend good money on a book or a DVD with lots of fluff and theories and nonsense about rehearsing, I'll be more than delighted to write it. Smile
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net

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