Advice and Support for Magicians
Rus Andrews dropped by the magic shop this week for a chat with Ben Williams.
They discuss how to prevent doubt creeping into your practice sessions, Rus’s thought of card to wallet magic trick – Spoken, and Rus teaches us his spin technique for playing cards.
You can find out more about Spoken here
David writes:
‘It is only recently that I have tried to learn magic, but the thing I find most perplexing, is where should I start? Where can I learn the basics. There are so many incredible things out there, it is easy to get lost and become confused. Most people dream of winning the lottery, or becoming a famous singer, or the like. Not me. I would love to be able to amaze and astound people with card magic. That has to be the ultimate goal. But I feel clumsy, and when I look at the hands of magicians on TV, I see slim and nimble fingers. Unlike mine.’
It’s great news that you have started to learn. You’re in for such a fun time! Learning how to do magic scores over many other hobbies as you can instantly start performing to a level that will impress your friends. That’s a far cry from the ‘painful’ learning period that beginners (and the people they live with) have to go through when learning a musical instrument.
As a place to start, check out these recommended first magic tricks for beginners.
You may also find these posts useful:
Where to Start Learning magic
How to start learning coin magic
You mention that you are worried about your hands. There’s no need to worry. Larger or small hands are no barrier to learning sleight of hand.
The main skill you will learn is dexterity in your fingers, a light touch, and the timing placement of your hands. These factors are not influenced by the size of your hands, just by the amount of practice you are prepared to put into your magic training.
Like anything worth learning, you are going to be clumsy at first. Your hands need to develop a light touch and you need to perfect the timing and flow for any moves you work on. Keep working on a magic practice drill.
As you work on your sleight of hand, choose some self working magic tricks, so you can begin performing right away whilst you work on your performing style, and confidence. Remember that it’s not a race. You build up skill over the long term. The only difference between you and a professional magician is the number of hours spent on practice.
Ben asks The Merchant of Magic:
I’m looking to buy a Scotch and Soda set, and I have seen you have the locking one, and the magnetic one. Are they both completely different in that that they do different tricks, or can the same magic tricks be performed with both types?
Which one is better?
Also the book/DVD that you sell that’s called 25 Amazing Tricks with Scotch and Soda, can this be used for the original version and magnetic?
Hi Ben, there are lots of different versions of Scotch and Soda, they all allow the same type of magic tricks to be performed. Which one is better? Well that really depends:
The Difference
The main difference between the original version and the magnetic version is the reset. You can reset the coin set quickly using a magnet with the magnetic version, the original version has a little gimmick you carry around to help with the reset. They both have pros and cons. The magnetic version is easier to reset, and the magnet helps the coins lock. However, the original Scotch and Soda version would stand up to a VERY close inspection, as the coins lock together so tightly. The magnetic version is ever so slightly looser when it is locked together.
The Limy Version
On a side note, the Coin Unique is the UK name for the same trick. You will find a £1/1p version, a 2p/10p version and a £2/50p version most commonly available in magic shops. There are several types on the market of varying quality. The Merchant of Magic has, until recently, always rejected the £2 versions because the bi-metal coins tend to fall apart.
Coin Unique are magnetic locking, and are good to have in UK currency.
About the DVD (You don’t really need it)
25 Amazing Tricks with a Scotch and Soda DVD or Booklet is a decent introduction to using the set. Because the basic tricks are the same for both scotch and soda original amd magnetic, both are compatable with the DVD. The production values on the DVD are not that great. It was made back in the 1980’s, and shows it’s age, but aside from ‘looks’, the tuition is sound and helpful.
Coin Unique comes with several routine ideas in the instructions for the set, so you probably don’t need the DVD if you’re going for Coin Unique.
I hope this helps you make a decision.
Got some advice for choosing the best Scotch and Soda or Coin Unique set? Share your thoughts in the comments section below:
