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MagicByVincent Veteran user Staten Island, New York 332 Posts 
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On Sep 28, 2019, mentaldiego wrote: YES!!!!!!! THIS !!!!!!!!! You have no idea how hard this hits home with me right now. I have been floating in and out of magic for over 25 years and can not tell you how many "self working" tricks and gimmicks I have bought over the years they are all fun to open and play with when you first get them but they quickly end up in the draw or closet. This time around I am more focused on skills spending less money (buying videos and books teaching skills rather than buying tricks) and I'm enjoying my self soooo much more and truly feel like I'm getting much more out of my experience this time around. I only wish I had gone this route much sooner, I would have saved a lot of money and been much further along in my skills.    Magic is all around us we just have to be willing to see it.
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thegreatscungilli Regular user 166 Posts
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Take what you see in the trailers with a grain of salt. Check out as many reviews as you can find,they will usually give you some insights into whether the trick is for you or not and will save you some money.
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notasperfectasyou New user DC Metro Area 52 Posts
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Beginner hobby magician here to share a slightly different perspective. Magic very much is about perception, manipulating the perspective of others, and the guiding of the impulsiveness of an audience. Clearly magicians understand the behavioral elements of the craft. So, honestly, you can't talk about this topic without actually understanding how those same things operate in a beginner hobbyist magician like me. Don't fold up your arms, but think about this for a minute.
I ran out and bought a slew of tricks on Vanishing and Penguin and it's been a year and I'm still digging through the things I bought. I'm here typing to share what I have learned. Reading advice like don't buy a bunch of tricks is solid, but honestly, you kind of have to learn that by ..... buying a bunch of tricks. Maybe some of you learned this from reading the advice, but I bet most of you like me had to learn this by buying a bunch of things that had really great trailers. So, here is advice #1 - put it on the wish list and give it some time before you actually buy it. It will still be there and you can buy it later. Come here to the Magic Café and read about it too. Read the reviews. Try to figure out if you are experienced enough to perform the thing you are looking to buy. I have also learned that magic works better when things I'm doing flow from one thing to the next. Magic does not work well and is clunky when you have to swap things out in an awkward sort of way in front of your audience, like putting away your invisible deck to pull out a different deck that has a different gimmick. Some magic does not lend itself very well to a transition to other magic. I have found, at least for now, that following a card trick with a coin trick can set me up to do a different card trick so long as I kept the second deck in my pocket and both decks are the same color. So, advice #2 - is before you buy stuff, think about how you might segue from one trick to another. I bought a sharpie pen that called a Penhenge. It does what it's supposed to do, and I thought it would be a good segue from doing a coin trick where someone write on the coin to a card trick. And maybe someone might find a way to present this (remember that I'm a beginner) but I have not found figured that out. My efforts feel forced and awkward. I'm going to stop here because I think shorter posts are easier to read and reply to. Ken |
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vannma New user 38 Posts
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Ken, good post and I really like how you mentioned the segue from one trick to another. I used to do a lot of kid shows with adults also in attendance. This is especially important in this situation because the kids get so bored so easily. Anyhow, another tip is to combine effects to come up with one "effect" if you will. For example, I did the coloring book, but I combined it with the breaking wand and the multiplying wands. I would have 2 specs come up, one holds the coloring book while I stand in between them. I take the (breaking) want, wave it at the book and ask the other spec to do the same. Of course, when I hand him the wand it breaks! I can get a lot of laughs here, usually doing it 3 times. Finally I give up on that wand and bring out the big wand (multiplying wands). I end up thanking the specs as they have a seat and then go through the coloring book routine. Very colorful, fast moving, audience participation kids love it.
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Aus Special user Australia 997 Posts
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Ken & Vannma I talk a lot about transitions and the philosophy behind them and how to best execute them during a performance in another thread that might be of interest to you. You can check it out here: https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view......forum=41
Magically Aus |
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The Mysterious One Veteran user 384 Posts
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On Sep 15, 2020, notasperfectasyou wrote: Ken, As a beginner hobbyist (as you called yourself), I think you nailed what a lot of people more experienced forget about or ignore. As a semi-pro (been doing magic for paying audiences for almost 10 years and about 50 free shows 6 years prior to get experience), the only thing I disagree about in your previous post is that an item will be available later. I have seen too many times an item is no longer available after being sold out or re-released after many years of not being on the market, especially books that are not mass marketed paperbacks. Conversely, I have seen items and effects overproduced to the point that prices are dramatically cut to reduce inventory (Murphys did this several times last year and I did pick up a bunch of items for 80% that were on my purchase list for years). Also, as you continue to grow in the art, you will find that the latest and greatest offering from magic shops are not really the latest and greatest offering. For every great release, there are 5 that are awful. Also, love your advice for how magic should transition from one prop to the next seamlessly. There is a magic shop in town where a "performer" was performing upstairs for a paying audience. This person did one trick from a gimmicked deck. After finishing his card effect, he transitioned to his next card effect by opening up his case and pulling out the next gimmicked deck. A friend of mine that witnessed this performance said the guy's case had about 10 - 12 different decks of cards. This was how he continued for his show. After performing one card effect, put the deck in his case to pull out the next deck. Rinse. Repeat. That is not good magic in a nutshell, and I am being very polite when saying that. I know the magic shop wants to sell gimmicked decks to laypeople, but that constitutes an awful show that removes almost any element of magic. The spectator obviously will think "gimmicked decks" accomplished everything and not associate anything magical with the performer or the performance. If you ever put on a parlor show or one-man stage show in front of an audience, one way to transition from one effect to another if the items vary (e.g., a rope effect to a card effect) is using a dump box. This way, you can quickly transition from one effect to another (I saw and learned this years ago by going to a Jeff McBride lecture 6 hours away from home. He uses an old school doctor type of bag on a chair (Jeff uses this since it is easy to transport when flying around the country. I always use a dump box when performing for younger audiences since I use various magic props (sponge balls, coin pal, wands, etc.) For shows for older audiences (teens to adults), I only use my case since I don't use large props (just wine glasses, cards, a few other items). |
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The Mysterious One Veteran user 384 Posts
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Also, I sure it was mentioned, but no matter what type of magic you perform, you are best served by purchasing comprehensive, well written books that go into detail on fundamentals. For example, there have been too many times when watching a card magic dvd, the instructions for a key sleight is either rushed or overlooked completely. It is not that big of a deal now for me, but when I started out, I was lost and fell into some really bad habits. At times, I was lost. Solid, comprehensive books that clearly explain and illustrate moves are essential.
As it has been said, read reviews and research. Unfortunately, the Café has lost some of its greatest contributors such as Bob Cassidy, Dick Oslund, Pete Biro, and a few others (RIP gentlemen). However, there are a slew of contributors here that can help from their shared experiences and stories. Good magic to all!!! |
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Luke Jonas Regular user Yorkshire UK 191 Posts
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So Much advice on here!
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Aus Special user Australia 997 Posts
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It's been a while since I commented on this thread, haven't really had anything new to add, but came across this video from Craig Petty's channel that I think is valuable advice and in theme of what the topic discussion is here.
I hope some of you get some benefit from it. Magically Aus |
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TheGizmoDuck New user Southern Arizona 5 Posts
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Thank goodness I learned to stop blowing money on commercial tricks and the like thinking they'd all be filling my magic "experience meter" or whatever.
Who knows how bad I could have gotten. Got caught by the Café sages before I surpassed the 200 dollar mark. |
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Aus Special user Australia 997 Posts
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On May 7, 2022, TheGizmoDuck wrote: To be honest TheGizmoDuck, you don't need a lot of magic to be a good magician, many of the Great Magicians of the past staked much of their reputation on a few curated magic tricks which they perfected, refined and personalised and performed repeatedly. Most of the consumption and consumerism of magic tricks is mostly from hobbyist magicians. Magically Aus |
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Russo Inner circle So.California / Centl.Florida / retired Florida 1177 Posts
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Yes to Aus ,the dealers are't tooo happy with us - min purchase Magicians. Find what you like, perform it well, as long as you enjoy. 85 in June, 75 years in Entertainment. BEST TO ALL> RR
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jstone Inner circle Someday I'll have 1473 Posts
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I noticed that a handful of y'all mentioned My Lovely Assistant. First, thanks for the mention. Second, as of last month (August 2022), the site has undergone a complete overhaul, and redesign. Also, we post 2 - 3 new reviews every day. Enjoy!
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bubc New user 16 Posts
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Needed this thread honestly
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Fabs New user 1 Post
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Oh my,
this thread ticks so many boxes with me. I too have bought so many effect that sit on a huge shelf of shame or in big drawer with a black hole in it. I always believed, the next thing will help me be the performer I always wanted to be. But it's just not true. I can have so much fun with just two or three effects in my pocket that I try to improve all the time. Therefore I set these rules for myself when I'm watching new reviews on Youtube or read about them on the cafe. 1. I ask myself: Do I have a similar effect sitting at home (I most always have). 2. I force myself to study and practice this effect - and then perform it to a bunch of people. 3. If I still want to own the new effect, I put it on a wish list. 4. After performing the old effect at least to 10 different persons I will reconsider buying the new one. So far that really prevented me more often than not from making these impulse purchases. But sometimes, you know. I need a treat :-D Greetings Fabian |
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tntmagic New user Baltimore Maryland 11 Posts
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On Jan 6, 2016, Dick Oslund wrote: Very well said! Thank you Dick! I was just giving some advice. I said, you are an author writing a play with magic in it. You are the author and the actor and you have to write something that people will enjoy watching. You get to invent and play any personality you like, you have the advantage of magic to amaze people but the rest is what people will remember and relate to. That 85% is so important, fascinating, and creative! In the end the audience might remember one amazing trick but it's the connection with the magician they truly remember!
Ron Teitelbaum
Owner www.tntmagic.com "Magic is something that needs to be believed to be seen" - Harry Anderson |
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MaxArtifice New user 32 Posts
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On buying magic...
Why learn magic at all? Is it to please yourself? Is it to "fool" others? Or is it to entertain an audience? As hard as learning magic is (and by hard I mean putting in the TIME to perform an effect competently and then proficiently), learning to be entertaining is several orders of magnitude more difficult. That is, unless you are gifted in entertainment. And some are. But most are not. My personal opinion is that there are few things more annoying than a magician who is not entertaining. So, by all means, buy magic. Learn to perform. But learn also to entertain and become entertaining. There are books that are not focused on tricks. The Fitzkee trilogy. Strong Magic by Ortiz. And others. These books are about magic theory and magic as entertainment. A beginner would profit immensely from studying more than just tricks. Just my opinion. |
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Posted: Feb 29, 2020 02:56 am 