Hi,

check out my finger-ring manipulation video and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY0eZfB43D8

I know about twenty more tricks using just a ring, or just the lace, but those wouldn't work well to music. Anybody think there's room for yet another DVD on magic with just a ring?

Stephen Ablett

First off the manipulation aspect and ring and string were done very well, I didn't see anything new. I found your style off putting, kind of like Gary Nueman on Jolt Cola doing magic, I think it sells better if worked slower and less manic.

Another DVD on ring magic... I think it really depends on if you bring to the table something new or if you are better at instructing than those previously put out. While I think Ring and String kills I don't have the same opinion about the ring manipulations. First it is difficult to see, thus why your presentation antics don't work for me at least, it just becomes confusion and as the professor said, confusion isn't magic. I see that stuff and while I know how the gimmick is made I just think "interesting how they make it look like a ring". The ring and string stuff I'd sit down and watch, which you likely already have, the Greg Wilson material and decide if you can make something that can improve upon that, if not then don't bother. Too much is put out solely because it can be. That being said if you put out something on ring manipulations and had a scary ad the hallway hit men and the street assassins will line up like the sheep they are to buy it.

I really enjoyed the act. A little something before going into a ring and string routine was great. It wasn't hard for me too see and I think would work great for table hopping.
I am doing Bob Millers string and ring routine that I bought from him in video so I wouldn't buy anther one but like magicsanta said "you put out something on ring manipulations and had a scary ad the hallway hit men and the street assassins will line up like the sheep they are to buy it."

Great job Stephen
Shawn

Very nice handling! I like your method for "trapping" the ring onto the ribbon (the one where you hold the one end in your teeth) and removing it.

Some nice moments during your performance. I liked some of the ring and string stuff.

Nice handling. I am not fond of the presentation style, but that's another question. I agree with the first reply. The handlings are smooth, but I didn't spot anything new that would require a new Ring magic DVD.
If you have new material, yes, there is certainly some room for a new video or book. But I saw in your video some material from Dan Garrett, Garrett Thomas, Greg Wilson, De'Vo, and also some very classical tricks, but nothing new.

Don't take this as a bad critics, I don't perform anything which is really new either (except for some adaptations, like you did in your presentation). But publishing is another thing than performing.

Thanks for the video!
Jonathan.

Hi,

Thanks everyone for watching the video. My personal style has me talking and telling jokes when performing these tricks, but for the video I wanted to do it to music so that it could be appreciated by an international audience. It also makes it a solid routine, and not just a bunch of tricks strung together. I think it looks pretty cool anyway.

The D'ring flash on, actually uses a different method. The effect is the same, but I found a way to get the ring in position (with gem on top) without having to use the thumb.

The Garrett Thomas DVD is good, but be aware that all those moves are actually old thimble moves, and can be found in Martin Gardner’s encyclopedia of impromptu magic. Also, the penetration on effect - he does not do.

The ring finger-switch is cool. Old versions had you doing it on the wrist; even Greg Wilson has it either side of his watch. This was too obvious and so I came up with the idea of doing it in the air, in the photo-frame (in front of the face). This hides the knuckle and increases the effect ten fold.

Then there are several tricks that are brand new, the one where you wave your hand around the fist and ring suddenly appears back on the finger. That’s one of mine. As well as the slide drop, for the hand to hand transposition.
The first ring through hand is new, it looks similar to the old coin through hand (which never works), but with the ring you have extra options which fixes the effect.
The second ring up through hand is an old coin trick, but is quite unknown in most circles. That trick is very powerful.

I have about 6 more original ring tricks I do, but those require talking as they are interactive tricks. A couple of mental ones and adapted coin tricks also.

The ring and string - Yeap, pretty much all old effects, but with my own small spin on them. The last one using the special knot I haven’t seen anyone else do, but the principle has been explored with the large ring and rope tricks.

It’s more about the power of these tricks, if you have nothing but a ring, then you can still do many very powerful impromptu effects. No DVD to date has explored the versatility that I ring offers.
Garrett Thomas's Ring thing relies a lot on fake coins and additional items in the later routines. He only explores 1 trick with the ring on its own.
That’s the same for Greg Wilson’s version, apart from the two finger switch on the wrist.
L & L publishing have a great ring and string DVD, which is absolutely amazing. All I would put on the DVD would be my own routine and that’s it. Even so, I would encourage others to buy L&L' DVD, as it goes into so much detail, and offers so many routines.
Greg Wilson's Ring Leader, is not only unavailable but features nothing but ring and string routines, which quite frankly are too much of a filler trick and not enough 'wow' tricks. If you know what I mean.
The beauty of doing powerful tricks with a ring is that you remain looking cool, and not geeky when asked to do a trick. As soon as someone finds out your a magician, they want to see a trick. Taking out a pack of playing cards is very 'geeky' and to the spectator it is as though you were waiting for them to ask.
When you can take of your ring, or borrow the spectators and still do a full show, then that looks real cool.

When I finish my current DVD project, than I'll look into making the ring DVD, and offer it for review.
In the meantime, thanks for watching the video and if you liked it, you might like to watch my other videos also hosted on youtube.

Stephen Ablett

I thought it was pretty magical even if I did know many of the moves. To me that is a good sign.

Good work.

That's awesome thanks for sharing!