magic advice Archives

Sleight of hand is all well and good, but is it really any better than using gimmicks or self working magic tricks?

Sleight of hand for the sake of it.

Magicians are addicted to learning new moves and techniques. However, practice of sleight of hand just for the sake of it can be a sure fire way to waste your valuable practice time. Recreational practice is not a problem in and of itself, unless that’s all you’re doing.

If you decide to commit your valuable practice time to mastering a move, make sure you also have an application for it. Being able to perform 20 different colour changes is no better than mastering a single method, that fits perfectly in the magic trick you want to perform. You only need to learn one method, until you have another magic trick or routine that actually requires a different technique. Don’t waste time building things that you don’t have a use for. Spend your time collecting complete magic tricks, not individual moves.

Unnatural moves.

Everyone loves to invent. Magicians especially love creating and modifying sleight of hand. A problem can occur when it’s done for no other reason than to publish and name something.

At the Merchant of Magic, it’s rare that a day goes by without the team receiving a video clip from a magician who has ‘created’ a new variation. Sometimes these variations are awesome, but mostly they are a traditional classic move with a layer of unnaturalness added.

The goal of sleight of hand isn’t to be unique or different, but rather to do something invisibly. Sleight of hand needs to look like ‘nothing at all’. Perfect technique strips away any movement and hand positioning, leaving only normal ‘everyday’ handling or action. If a sleight adds anything unnatural to your movement or hand position, it could be weakening the magic trick rather than improving it.

The busy fool principle.

Despite what we were all told at school, how hard you work, is sadly, not a direct indication of your likeliness to succeed. Hard work only leads to success if it’s focused in the right direction. This is done by creating and working towards clearly defined goals.

If we take earning a living from magic as an example, any magician can get a full diary of gigs if their fee is low enough. A magician can easily do 5 gigs every week for a fee of £50 each. That magician works really hard and feels successful as they have as much work as they can handle. However, another magician can have a larger income by charging £300 per gig, but only landing a single booking each week.

In just the same way, many truly obsessed magicians practice night and day learning moves and sleights, but have not set a goal to build a magic act. They work like a ‘busy fool’ building their knowledge without any goals to make the effort pay off for them.

The Emperors new clothes.

The Emperor: ‘The collar’s always around the neck, the sleeves always come off the shoulders, the waist always goes around the middle! When will they invent something original?‘ – The Emperor’s New Clothes 1987

So many moves are published that are nothing more than pipe dreams, invented by magicians who never actually perform them. The moves get attention from other magicians who also learn them, without any real intent to perform them either.

The inventor gets plenty praise, and the students congratulate each other on their skills mastering these obscure moves. There are countless online discussion groups built around discussing, reviewing and often arguing over these techniques, their originality and development. There are even online magic shops that specifically repackage this behaviour into a fashionable lifestyle culture.

It’s a fun pastime, sold as ‘training magicians’. In reality, it may not be doing that at all.

Technique over entertainment

Which would you rather watch?

5 different variations of the classic pass (that should all look the same anyway)

5 different uses for an Invisible deck?

Which would teach and entertain you most? I don’t actually need to write any more on this to get the point across, do I?
Practice vs. the average magician.

Let’s face it. Practicing magic is boring for most people. Some magicians love it, and the work itself is part of the reward and becomes a passion, but most people feel they have better things to do with their time than sit down and drill sleight of hand. The fun part is discovering a new trick, or discussing how a trick works. Most magic forums probably 99% discussion of new tricks, reviews, reverse engineering, marketing, and arguments about which trick is the best. You have to dig very deeply to find the 1% of useful discussion about practice and rehearsal.

We can moan about this as much as we like, but it’s simple maths:

The average magician is only prepared to spend an average amount of time working on their technique. This means that half of the remaining magicians are even less prepared to practice than them!

The result: A lot of terrible sleight of hand!

The Merchant of Magic was established as a magic shop to:

Help people fall in love with magic.
Guide beginners to practice.
Help magicians design an act.
Encourage magicians to perform.

If you have ever visited the shop, or called the team by phone, you’ll already know that the team often recommends the use of gimmicks over sleight of hand, for the majority of beginners. The sleight of hand guides and tutorials are also recommended by the shop, but the focus is on quality act creation, not an artificial ideal of purity in magic. After all, that’s how ‘he who must not be named’ would probably run a magic shop.

Using gimmicks doesn’t make you some kind of ‘mud blood’. In fact, it puts you in excellent company with magicians like David Copperfield, Dante, Devant, and Dia Vernon, and pretty much every other famous magician. The greatest magicians throughout history have always been partial to using gimmicks.

Come on Dominic, it’s not as simple as that.

Maybe. I’m definitely polarizing the issue to a large extent. Few magicians choose only sleight of hand, and refuse to use gimmicks. Most magicians study sleight of hand, and also buy self working tricks or gimmicks.

My point isn’t that you should choose to abandon sleight of hand, and fill your act with gimmicked props alone. You shouldn’t choose between sleight of hand or gimmicks at all.

I’m warning that it’s very easy to get wrapped up in ‘technique’ being sold to you as the path to being a fabulous magician. It’s hard to spot because it’s not being sold to you by magic dealers, it often comes from other magicians who are also caught up in the same trap of assuming competent sleight of hand defines the quality of a magician.

I recommend that you ignore advice based on the assumption that sleight of hand is always better. There are excellent techniques, and there are terrible techniques. In just the same way, there are amazing gimmicks, and dreadful gimmicks. Forget about the method of a trick you are thinking about learning. Look at the effect, the presentation, and what actually happens from the point of view of the spectator. If those elements are awesome, then you should learn it, regardless of the mechanics involved.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below:

The Difference Between Copying and Stealing a Magicians Magic Tricks

by Merchant of Magic Leave a Comment

Edward writes: ‘What’s the difference between copying a magicians method and stealing magic tricks? I think I have a good idea how the magic trick ‘Inexplicable’ is done. Do I have to purchase it, or can I just make one, for my own use?‘

The difference between copying and stealing a magicians magic tricks.

If a magician develops an original magic trick, he or she may decide to sell their idea, and in most cases (unless expressly stated prior to purchase) this means that, if you purchase it, you have the creators permission to perform it and it is not considered stealing.
Even if you buy magic tricks, it could be argued that you are copying that magician by performing his or her idea. The fact that you have paid for the right to do so, however, means that in this instance, you are not stealing.

If a magic trick has been commercially released, you should always purchase a copy, rather than try to make your own. The inventor thought up the idea, put in the hard work and perfected the magic trick. Just the fact that you hadn’t’ thought of doing the trick until you saw the marketed product, should tell you that it’s not ‘your idea’ to steal.

But what about if you see a magic trick performed, but it is not available to buy?

You should attempt to contact the creator and ask for permission to perform their trick. You are still technically copying, but because you have gone to the trouble of getting permission, you are not stealing.

If you do not buy the magic trick, or directly get permission to perform someone else’s trick, then it would be stealing if you decide to copy the idea and perform it yourself. You will not find many who disagree with that statement.

Can you put a phone inside a bottle?

There is very little social pressure to play by the rules. Regular audiences don’t know if the magic tricks you perform are original, or if you are copying another magician.

The temptation to steal other magicians work is huge because the rewards are instant and there is very little or no consequence in doing so. In fact, as magicians we are often ENCOURAGED to copy the tricks of other magicians by our audiences. This is usually because they have seen a famous magician perform an amazing trick, and they want you to recreate it so that they can witness it live. Think about it – how many times have you been asked recently to put a phone into a bottle, put a card through a window or even levitate?!

Sometimes a spectator may talk to you about other magicians when you perform, and what tricks they have seen and how amazing it was:

“I was at my friend’s wedding, and the magician there turned all the cards into a solid block of glass! IN MY HAND!!”

It is this kind of outburst from spectators that can fuel the temptation to copy from other magicians because it creates the impression that a magic trick on its own can build you a great reputation. You begin to focus on what other magicians are performing, rather than considering how to work on the tricks you already have to ensure you can get a fantastic reaction from them.

Stealing magic tricks Is No Biggy.

Rightly or wrongly, there is a train of thought in magic that stealing is OK. Not because the magic community is full of people with low moral standards, but because it is difficult to see the consequences of stealing ideas or tricks from other magicians.

If you steal someone else’s idea and put it in your act, where is the harm? After all, the majority of magicians are only known to a small number of people. If you copy their material, who is going to know? The magician whose ideas you stole could easily live the rest of their life without ever knowing! Magic is also a lot smaller in scale than many other industries, so it could be (and has been) argued that the financial impact for a creator is insignificant if people copy their ideas.

Magicians stealing from magicians are not by any means a new phenomenon. There are a great many high-profile cases from years gone by you can read about in Jim Steinmeyer’s books ‘The Glorious Deception’, and ‘Hiding The Elephant’. Perhaps the most controversial was the theft of Robert Harbin’s ‘Zig-Zag’ Illusion by an American imitator. (You can find an excellent account of this story in a talk by Mike Caveney on the EMC 2010 DVD’s).

The wider impact of stealing magic tricks.

Every time a magician chooses to steal tricks from another performer, the impact is felt most within the magic community as a whole. Fear of being copied forces a lot of creators to publish their ideas too early in order to get credit (or some financial reward for their creativity) before someone else steals the idea. This can (and some might say- has) lead to under-developed or sub-standard magic tricks being released for sale.

It is also important to note that every time a magician opts to copy over creating something new or unique, there is one less original idea in magic that can inspire someone else in the future. Magic begins to suffer from a lack of depth, and magicians gravitate towards performing the same tricks as one-another instead of exploring something new.

A question of morals.

Ultimately, it is up to each of us to decide whether reverse engineering a magic trick is stealing, and whether or not this is a bad thing. There are no ‘magic police’ that are going to hunt down a magician for using someone’s idea. It all depends on our own moral view. We may wish to consider, however, what it is we actually gain from stealing an idea. It’s a method that is stolen. A series of moves in a particular sequence, or the design of a gimmick, or a principle. Nobody is stealing magic. It’s not possible to steal the great reaction we hope for, or the adoration of our spectators. Those things come from being a great performer- a quality nobody can take from somebody else.

Whether you feel copying another magician is good, bad or indifferent- It’s end result is pointless!

If you learn a magic trick from another magician, or even watch a performance and know the method already, seek out permission before you start performing the magic trick yourself. If it’s commercially released, purchase a copy. View it as a donation towards the creative process that lead you to discover the trick. Support the magic community, and inventors that take the time to develop magic tricks. We all benefit from their hard work.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Dry Hands Vs. Sleight of Hand – How Magicians can Improve their Sleight of Hand

by Merchant of Magic 2 Comments

Michael asks: ‘I have very dry hands, do you have any tips on how to manage this to help my sleight of hand magic tricks?‘

Problems with dry hands are a frequent question we get asked at the Magic Shop. It is a problem that many people have to deal with, and it really can be a hindrance to you when learning sleight of hand routines and other magic tricks.

Drink plenty of water.

In order to stay healthy, your skin needs a decent amount of water to be internally ingested each day. 2 Litres or more of water is the recommended daily amount. If you drink at least this amount, then this is the first step to helping your skin be as supple as possible and preventing dry hands that make sleight of hand harder to perform. Even if you don’t suffer from dry hands, having a bottle of water in your close up magic case is a very wise move.

Moisturising regime

Let’s face it, it is the year 2018, and metrosexuality has been embraced. It is no longer taboo for a man to crack out the moisturiser from his man bag and give his hands a good moisturising rub! If you wash your hands with lukewarm water, (not hot water this breaks down natural oils the hands produce), the damp skin will absorb the moisturiser much better.

Protect your hands

Protecting your skin is key if you suffer form dry hands. Dryness can sometimes be linked to sensitive skin and exposure to irritating substances can cause your skin to react badly. If you are handling anything that could be considered as an irritant, then be sure to wear gloves. Washing up the dishes to topping up oil in your car, from using bleaches and harsh cleaners to applying rubber cement to a gimmick always be sure to protect your skin. A simple box of latex gloves will last you a very long time and help keep the skin on your hands in tip top condition. As you master sleight of hand, your hands become professional tools. Protect your hands as a musician would protect their instrument.

Use a moisturising soap

When washing your hands don’t use a regular soap bar or soap that doesn’t have a moisturiser combined with it. Make sure you have a moisturising bar or bottle of soap in every place at both home and work that you regularly wash your hands. It may be a bit more expensive but can you put a price on soft skin?!?

Extremely dry hands

If your hands are extremely dry, you can rub a thin layer of Vaseline (or petroleum jelly) on your hands at night. If you then wear cotton socks (or cotton gloves) on your hands, they will provide a barrier and retain the moisturising benefit of the Vaseline. This routine should be repeated each night. If you do this, and keep hydrated you will be sure to see an improvement in your skin condition and your sleight of hand.

Moisturisers for dry hands to check out:

Vaseline Intensive Care Hand and Nail Lotion

Atrixo Regenerating Treatment

Dermalogica Multivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment

Moisturising Products specifically for magicians:

Hand Lotion

Magician’s Choice Formula

As a magician, your hands are your greatest asset. Taking a little time to look after them is a wise investment. Regular use of a hand cream will help combat dry hands and improve your sleight of hand.