7 Things To Get Right When Starting Magic

Beginners starting magic training are often frustrated with the progress they make. Here’s 7 things that they need to fix right away

I work with a lot of magicians that come to me because they are frustrated with the progress they have made. It’s often because of some simple things that they should have started doing right at the beginning of their journey into magic. Here’s 7 things that I most often recommend:

Avoid the magic binge

I’m going to make an assumption about you… Your excitement about magic means that you practice for hours at a time in huge ‘all evening’ practice sessions. These tend to be unstructured with no set goal in mind. Does this sound familiar to you? The results tend to be disappointing as you either get ‘burned out’ and stop practicing for a while, decide you just don’t have enough time to commit to regular practice, or you get bored and jump for one trick to the next, so no real progress is made. These binge sessions slowly transform into browsing the internet for new tricks, watching magic DVD’s, reading books, or browsing the internet magic forums. That’s valuable research, but it’s not PRACTICE.

To fast track your progress, you need to have a structured program of practice you can do every day. Working on JUST ONE trick or technique at a time. Frequent short sessions are much better than long binges because of the way our brains process information.

Choose effects before moves

Studying just moves, controls, and sleights endlessly is like a painter, spending years learning how to perfectly mix the oil paints to every shade of colour… They end up with a huge palette of paints, but no paintings…. Choose tricks and effects FIRST, and then master the controls, moves and sleights you need in order to perform those tricks. Doing that will mean you improve your skills with a goal at the end.

Use an effective practice drill

The key to any skill is repetition. It’s the difference between a beginner and a master. You could argue that natural ability is also a factor, but I firmly believe that this only plays a very small part in what makes a magician technically perfect. Natural ability only determines the quantity of practice required to master the moves

The difference between a beginner and a master is usually just the number of times they have performed the task.

In my book Approaching Magic Practice, I recommend that magicians establish a regular drill to practice the moves and condition them as motor responses. In just the same way that you would learn the piano, it is the constant repetition which will make you a master of any move.

The 20 – 20 – 20 Drill Method

A professional practice drill would be to perform the complete trick 20 times in the morning and 20 times in the evening. Repeat this every day for 20 days. Don’t attempt to speed up, just go through the whole routine as a slow drill.

You will find that the speed increases naturally over time, but don’t rush this process happening. It’s vital that you focus on the quality of the moves you perform and not the speed, so that you don’t reinforce bad habits as they occur. After the three weeks, assess your progress. If you don’t feel it’s 100% ready yet, repeat the drill for a few more weeks. It’s a slow and painful process, but you are conditioning yourself in just the same way a professional magician performs a trick in their act when working. The difference is that you are doing this in private and being mindful of each and every step in the process.

View magic tricks like the courses of a meal

Mastering the performance of a trick is your first goal, but the process does not stop there. It’s important that you don’t look at each trick you do as an island. They are better viewed as stepping stones that need to be aligned with each other to work effectively. It’s important to group the tricks you know into ‘sets’. These are collections of tricks that work well together and naturally flow, much like a meal:

Aperitif – Your Introduction

Starter – Your strong visual opener

Palette cleanser – A ‘middle’ trick, story or joke as a ‘bridge’

Main course – Your main effect building to a good climax

Dessert – A stunning closer – Memorable and high impact

Coffee’s – Your farewell

The example above is a three trick set. It has an opener, a main trick and a closer. The three tricks are helped to run smoothly together by their context and your charm (The Palette cleaner) and they sit inside bookends of a professional introduction and a good conclusion.

Make sure you don’t become a clone.

It is very easy to watch a performance that you enjoy and to believe that is the only way to perform that effect. Do not fall into this trap! You can learn much from someone else’s performance and experiences such as points of finesse and timing, sleights and even some jokes. However, if you clone another magician’s performance it will seem unnatural and even forced to your spectators.

Discover who YOU are

When starting out, your main goal should be to have fun. Try out all the areas of magic that you can. Find out what you really like to perform. I usually recommend self-working tricks when you begin. ‘Easy to perform’, means you start performing as quickly as possible! Performance is the best way to learn about the type of magician you should become. Will you have a dry presentation? Maybe you will be edgy? Will your delivery be slow and stylish? Will you be sinister or mysterious? To practice the presentation of a trick, you first need to understand WHO will be performing it? Once you know that, can you start to be selective by getting this next thing right:

Think before you buy something new to learn

When you are new to magic, it’s very easy to get carried away collecting more and more new trick. It’s important to slow this down, and much of it is the fun of shopping, rather than the serious job of becoming a better magician. If the only reason you picked a new trick was because it fooled you, chances are it’s probably not the right trick to learn next. You need to choose your magic by more than just your ability to ‘work it out’. Before you invest any more time on learning the trick, ask yourself the following three questions:

Will it fit my style?
Can I make it entertaining?
Where would it fit into my ‘set’ of tricks?

If the answer to these questions is positive, then it’s worth starting the process of learning the trick and building it into a working performance ready routine. Sometimes you may buy a trick just to find out how it works, but remember that is best looked upon as research rather than act building.

If you would like to learn more about topic. You are welcome to download a free copy of my book Approaching Magic Practice.

Best wishes and good luck with your magic

Dominic Reyes

Originally published in MagicSeen Magazine (July 2016)

Feedback and Reviews about Merchant of Magic

The 5 Best Ways to Vanish a Ring

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

What are the best ways to vanish a ring?

To borrow an item from a spectator and perform something impossible with that item is immensely strong. With that knowledge, it would be a shame not to capitalize on it so we have listed below a list of our top 5 ways to vanish a borrowed ring. Just to be kind we have also listed a few pros and cons for each method.

Vanishing Ring

This is the latest method to vanish a ring. Brought to you by Sans Minds Magic, Vanishing Ring is a very clever utility device. It is for all intents and purposes a ring box, just like you would get in a jewelry shop. However, this is no ordinary ring box! A spectator can place their ring inside the box, by themselves and close the lid by themselves, yet without opening the box and within a second you can steal that ring from the box to reproduce it however you like!

Pros

Super Clean Handling
Super Easy Handling
95% Self Working
Quality Prop Build
The spectator can do most of the work

Cons

You must retrieve the ring and then reproduce it magically so there is a little bit of work
As it is so easy to retrieve the ring care must be taken to prevent you dropping it as you do so
The box is not 100% examinable so care must be taken not to draw attention to it, you don’t want the spectators suspecting that it is a ‘magic’ trick box.

Ring Flight

Ring Flight has been a standard in magic for decades. It is a self working vanish and magical reproduction of a borrowed ring. Most Ring Flights used to vanish a ring and it would reappear on a clip on a key wallet. Some cheaper versions still use this method. More recently, though versions of Ring Flight consist of the ring appearing on a key ring with your house keys and car key, giving Ring Flight a more modern edge.

Pros

Completely self working
Very magical vanish and very magical reproduction
Has a truly organic feel, not like a card trick, this feels like magic

Cons

Some versions can be very expensive
You are not personally in control of the ring at all times
Must be wearing a jacket or similar

Any Ring

Any Ring is a vanishing ring handkerchief by our friend Richard Sanders. It is based on the old ring inside hanky effect, but Any Ring has a twist. With Any Ring you can borrow… you got it, any ring! Older versions require you borrow a ring of a certain size, this limited you as a performer. This is not an issue with Any Ring as Richard Sanders very cleverly found a solution to this problem.

Pros

Very easy to do
The spectator can feel their ring right up until the moment you vanish it from the hanky
Any ring can be borrowed as all sizes are catered for
Great price

Cons

A handkerchief may not fit your style or character
Vanish is not so elegant as you must tug the handkerchief from the spectator’s fingers
Gimmick only vanishes the ring so reproducing it magically is down to you

TKO 2.0

The TKO 2.0 is a vanishing gimmick that is not only very practical but also very magical. It allows you to ditch and retrieve items like rings and coins with ease, in short sleeves with no apparatus attached to the item. It looks like pure magic as you show a ring, turn your hand over to rub it on your other hand and instantly that ring is gone. Easily retrievable the TKO 2.0 is a definite ‘must check out’ if you haven’t already.

Pros

Can be done in short sleeves
No extra apparatus to carry in your pockets
Looks like real magic, it is there and suddenly it just isn’t!

Cons

There is a clothing requirement, TKO 2.0 won’t work in certain clothing
It will take practice to get the vanish looking smooth and working 100% of the time
Gimmick only vanishes the ring so reproducing it magically is down to you

Good Old Sleight of Hand

The old fashioned way! Learn some sleight of hand. There are many ways to use sleight of hand to vanish a ring. From standard sleights, much like coin magic, to using sleight of hand with items like a length of string or standard silk hanky sleight of hand has been used for centuries. Sleight of hand is a skill set that can take years to master but is very rewarding.

Pros

Sleight of Hand, once learned costs nothing!
Can be performed at a drop of a hat as all it requires in its basic form is your hands and an item
The ring is under your full control at all times

Cons

Can take years to master
You can be limited, a gimmick can allow you to do something that you simply can’t do with sleight of hand

How to Perform The Same Magic Tricks To Groups Close To Each Other?

by Dominic Reyes 2 Comments

How do you manage to present the same routine to groups that are very close to each other?

Hi, I’m enjoying Dominic Reyes’s videos very much, it’s really helping me a lot.

My name is Rodrigo, I’m 27, from Brazil, and love magic since I’m little, but now I’m going to make a living of it. I have a question, and I would be very pleased if you could help me with it.

How do you manage to present the same routine to groups that are very close to each other?
(and if not, how many different routines do you usually have to use at a same gig)

I’m asking it cause I’m worried that it could be bad for my reputation, appearing for them that I only know that tricks, or worse, happening one guy stars to tell things by viewing the same trick again.

Thanks a lot, I hope you can help me with this question that is really troubling me.

I hope some day I can go to the UK to visit your magic shop.

Gratefully, Rodrigo

Hi Rodrigo,

Great question and we are more than happy to help and reassure you! Firstly, here’s a video Dominic made at a recent gig, where he talks about this situation:

Professional Magician Vs Casual Magician.

Firstly, you must understand that when working as a professional it is very different from performing casually for many reasons. One of those reasons is the material you perform. When you perform causally you show the same people different tricks, when you perform professionally you will mainly be performing the same tricks for different people.

A professional will hone their material so it is well structured, patter and scripting will be much more of a factor with your routines, your props have to be managed well and organized neatly within your pockets so your performance can flow well. All of these things are important when performing magic tricks professionally, it is no good going to a gig trying to do loads of different tricks to everyone as that will result in your quickly losing any organization in your pockets, you will need to go and reset everything far too often and you will come across as disorganized and it may even result in you not getting to show as many people magic as you or the client would like.

How do you manage showing the same magic tricks to everyone?

The answer to this is that you don’t have to deal with this too much. Mostly when you go from group to group each small group feels like they have your undivided attention. This means that they will respect you giving other groups your full and undivided attention and they will know their ‘show’ is over when you move on. You can help this by saying something along the lines of:

‘Thank you so much, I have so many people to get round today, I must go and mingle with some other groups, but I will come back and show you some more later if I have the time’

This is a subtle and kind way of saying show time is over now, now I have to show some other people magic. Mostly you will find people will understand this anyway. You will also find that a lot of people don’t want to follow you around, they are happy with the time you spent with them. You will most likely be booked to perform magic at a party or wedding or corporate event where other things are going on, they have people to see and other things to do. This doesn’t mean you were bad and did not entertain them, not at all, it is just they came to a party/wedding or other type of event and not to a magic show. They never intended on watching magic all night. Of course, some people will not want you to go, these people are golden and you should try to go back to them at some point if you can, they may even follow you a bit or watch you perform to another group later.

What happens if someone does follow me from group to group?

I will go into what sets of tricks you should have in a bit. However, if you do get someone to follow you then remember, they are only doing it because they like what they are seeing. Take it as a compliment. You must be aware of the fact that they have seen some of the tricks so try to speak with them to misdirect them at key points, the other lay people will follow that misdirection but you will also misdirect the spectator who has followed you. You can jazz up your routines as well, for example, I perform Omni deck as a finale to my card magic, sometimes I will do it after card to mouth, sometimes after a double lift or after a triumph routine, just to jazz it up and keep people on their toes so they don’t get used to seeing that trick at the same point.

How many routines and magic tricks are best?

This is my own personal way of doing things and it works for me. I have a few sets of tricks on me when I perform, I will most likely perform 3 – 4 routines per small group before moving on when performing Walkaround magic. I will always have at least one ‘powerhouse’ routine with these, this might be a coin bend, Omni deck, it might be Ring Flight, I will try to make it something unique and not just a card trick. This is what I will finish each set on and it will change between groups. I will be set up for about three or four powerhouse routines within my pockets for a walk around set. Some of these powerhouse routines need a quick reset, it may be an envelope needs reloading or something needs to be reset in a wallet etc. So when I go from group to group I can do four groups before a quick reset. If I am super busy and have lots of people to get round then I will maybe only do stronger routines that don’t need a reset, maybe card to wallet instead of card to envelope, you have to judge this when you get to your gig each time. By having four powerhouse routines it’ll be rare that someone sees one of these any more than once or maybe twice, which is fine.

For the other routines that go in between I will obviously have a deck of cards and I have a tonne of card tricks I can do off the cuff, I will also have a few gaff cards on me in a pocket I can easily load onto the deck should I want to. I have a coin or set of coins for a one coin routine or a coins across, with these I can add in a watch steal if I see the chance. I will have a thumb tip for other effects such as a liquid vanish, sugar packet effect or bill switch. I will also have a wallet, I can load into and a couple of gaffed banknotes in that wallet for tricks such as £10/£20 transpo, extreme burn or similar. With all of these together if organized well, you will have a core list of about 10 tricks and 4 powerhouse finishers that you can easily chop and change between so it is not a never ending list of tricks but you have ample variety for the small groups. Of course you will repeat tricks, but that is good, people love talking about when you did that trick where the coin bent in their hand and comparing stories.

How to deal with a repeat spectator that spoils any surprises.

Finally, this is how I would deal with a spectator that did follow me and ruin things by saying things like, ‘show them the trick where you turn the cards into glass or do the trick where the coin bends’. You have to understand, most people do not do this to be a pain in the butt to you, they are doing it cause they are excited and would like to see the trick again because it impressed them so much. They don’t realize that by them saying these comments it makes it harder to perform them. So here is a line I say in these situations, I say it very much as a joke and lighthearted response (I hope it will translate well for you).

Spectator, ‘Show them the trick where you bend the coin’

Me, ‘Oh, that’s it! Just tell them the punchline before I can tell them the joke!’

It is said with a smile and a laugh, but it gets my point across immediately that I do not want them saying things that may ruin the climax of my effects for everyone. I will most likely then say, ‘well, I tell you what, I’ll show you something different’ and then I will show them a different powerhouse routine. Unless it is something like Omni Deck which only takes a moment of misdirection. In that case I will say, well, I can’t do it now! I will show you later, then I will do a simple double lift and immediately do Omni deck as no one will be expecting it and you will catch everyone, even the repeat spectator off guard.

So those are my tips and suggestions to help you in this situation. Essentially though, if you perform with confidence and charm people will like you whatever you do.

I hope this helps, please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

Best,

Ben Williams
Merchant of Magic
www.magicshop.co.uk