How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

Studying Close Up Magic – How Not To Fall Into The Trap

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Dont-Study-MagicI received a question today that gets asked quite often, so I thought I would answer it on this blog instead, so as to get your opinion too.

The Question:

‘What do you think constitutes a true magician? Using 100% gimmicks 100% of the time, is something that feels a bit disingenuous when calling myself a magician. What do you feel is the perfect balance between real sleight of hand and gimmicks when performing close-up magic?’

 

Well, my answer tends to be that I don’t think it matters AT ALL.  The method really isn’t important and focusing attention and time on it is actually one of the traps that stop people learning to become a magician.

ASK YOURSELF THIS:

Do you want to be studying close up magic or to become a magician?

The two options are actually quite different, but their paths both lead through the doors of a magic shop, so people can often end up switching to the wrong path along the way.

Magicians are made one trick at a time. I recommend you choose a magic trick because it looks amazing and because you feel it would suit you. Then learn it and study any sleights needed to perform it perfectly. If it uses only gimmicks great. If it uses hardcore sleight of hand that’s great too.  The world’s top magicians only care about how amazing and entertaining their magic trick looks, not the method. If fact, they work hard to find a method that is as easy and direct as possible.

 

Knowing lots of sleights and techniques doesn’t make you a magician, it makes you an encyclopedia.

 

What makes a surgeon?  Would you call a surgeon a fraud for using the latest medical equipment? Should he or she insist on only using a scalpel and a piece of wood for the patient to bite down on? No, quite the opposite. I want my hospital to use every piece of the latest equipment possible to get the job done as well as possible. The surgeon’s job is to fix people. Your job as a magician is to amaze and entertain people. It’s the end result that defines the job title.

 

What magical powers would you like to have?

Definition of magician 

noun

  • a person with magical powers.
    a person who performs magic tricks for entertainment.
                                                                    From Oxford Dictionaries

I couldn’t find any reference to a person that knows lots of magic techniques and moves in the definition anywhere. Only someone with magical powers and someone who entertains with them.

Instead of collecting moves and sleights in an endless cycle of studying close up magic in general, decide what magical powers you would like to have. Do you want to be able to fly? Would you like to be able to read peoples minds? How about being able to move objects just by wishing it? Go ahead and choose your powers, then search for magic tricks that would show those powers to your audience in the most entertaining way possible. Once you have that, you can then learn the methods to allow you to perform just those tricks only. That’s one of the real secrets of magic.

I hope my answer helps
Dominic Reyes

Have I missed something? Do you disagree? Do you have any suggestions that would also help someone studying close up magic? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Make Your Playing Cards Last Longer – 10 Tips for Bicycle Playing Cards

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Playing cards are the most popular bit of kit owned by every magician. 52 pieces of paper that produce more magic tricks that any magician could learn to perform in a lifetime. The most popular brand for magicians are Bicycle Playing Cards, although, can use any deck of playing cards for most magic tricks, but they all have one problem, they wear out very quickly. Here are 10 tips to make your decks last longer.

1) Wash your hands to make your playing cards last longer
They may not look grubby, but to the clean white edges of a deck of playing cards, your hands are the enemy. Grime and oil from your skin can turn the edge of your playing cards gray very quickly. Before you pick up your playing cards take a moment to clean and dry your hands.

2) Pick up your playing cards carefully
You may not be practicing the 52 card pick up, but chances are you are going to drop those playing cards on the floor a few times while using them. Don’t scoop them up, you will be scratching the surface of the cards and also coating them with tiny bits of gravel or dust, that will then sit between the  cards in your deck and make mischief. Pick up each card individually. It takes time, but your cards will love you for it. Bicycle Playing cards have an air cushion finish that can help prevent this to some extend.

 Looking at purchasing data over a five year period, the average reorder time for playing cards by non-professional magicians is 3 months. Source – MagicShop.co.uk

3) Dry your hands 
Skin retains moisture, but the paper does even more. If your hands are clammy, your deck is soaking up that moisture. Moisture also can get trapped between the playing cards in the deck which can warp and ‘thicken’ the playing cards over time.

4) Make your playing cards last longer by keeping them in their card box  
Leaving a deck of bicycle playing cards on the tabletop, out of its box is like leaving a sponge on the kitchen work surface. Moisture from the room will seep into the paper stock. If you have been using them, they will be warm, and some will be bent, keeping them in their box, or even a Card Clip can help prevent the deck expanding and also squeeze them back into shape.

5) Store your playing cards in the fridge
Many playing card collectors keep their playing cards in cooled storage. Although this may be ‘overkill’ you might want to try storing a deck in your fridge and see if that helps it keep its shape.

6) Spring or faro your playing cards
Springing playing cards look cool, but it also has a purpose. The air will help keep your playing cards dry, and the action of the spring, will help iron out any warping, helping them sit together well.

On average, most professional magicians use one or two new decks of Bicycle Playing Cards each time they do a show or booking.

7) Don’t carry them in your trouser or jeans pocket
Heat from your body will expand and warp a deck of playing cards. Carry them in a jacket pocket instead. If you need to keep them in a trouser pocket, use a metal card guard to keep the deck tight.

8) Use fanning powder to make your playing cards last longer
As your playing cards get older they will spread well for a short time when you remove them from their card box, but will very quickly go ‘sticky’ and clump together. The coating on the surface of your Bicycle playing cards has degraded. You can greatly improve this by applying a little fanning powder to the deck when this happens. Some magicians use talc powder instead, with similar results.

Avoid damaging the edges of your cards when you pick them up: If you drop a playing card on the table or floor. Use another playing card to easily scoop under it.

9) Use cheaper decks of playing cards for practice
Many magicians recommend to use a cheap brand of playing cards for practice and save the more expensive bicycle playing cards for performances. We are not sure if this is a good idea, as it’s important to be totally used to the feel and control needed for a deck. Practicing with a low quality deck, doesn’t teach your hands, the level of touch and control needed when you switch to a higher quality Bicycle Playing Cards deck. Learning the ‘feel’ of a deck is an important part of your practice. If you are going to use a practice deck, make sure you change it quite often. You need to avoid getting used to working with an old deck of playing cards, so it does not feel strange when it’s time to perform with a new one.

10) Use a soft touch
When you begin practice, it can often be the case that you have a lot of tension in your hand. That can cause you to apply way too much pressure to the deck, bending it over time. Relax your hands while practicing. It’s not a battle between you and the playing cards. The playing cards are on your side! A light touch not only gives you a more professional image, it also stops your playing cards bending and warping as you riffle and shuffle them. Elegant displays of sleight of hand never show tension.

If you make your playing cards last longer, you can save you a fortune over time as you train towards doing magic professionally. Commercial magicians can build in the price of their Bicycle Playing Cards, into their fee as an expendable. It you don’t perform for money, using these tips will greatly increase the lifespan of your playing cards.

What tips do you have to make your playing cards last longer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Related Posts:

How Bicycle Playing Cards Are Made

Which Playing Cards Last Longest? – Durable Bicycle Playing Cards 

How to hold Bicycle Playing Cards Correctly

 

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Magic Tricks For Magicians Vs Magic Tricks For The Public

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Are there really just two kinds of magic tricks that magic shops sell, magic tricks for magicians, and magic for everyone else?

If you perform magic tricks for your family and friends or other magicians, the type of tricks you choose can be quite different from those you should select to perform to the public. When you are choosing a new magic trick to work on, how do you know which type of trick it is?

Who is your real audience?

When you browse though a magic shop and read the descriptions, notice how easy it is to understand very quickly, exactly what happens in the trick. The trick should be able to be described in just one or two sentences:

 

If the plot of a particular trick cannot be described simply, it’s probably more suited to be performed for other magicians. The public wants direct quick ploys, especially for close-up magic conditions. The magic needs to be instantly understandable.

Don’t think about ‘how’

When choosing a magic trick, try not to think about the method of the trick initially. First think about what the ‘story’ of the trick is for the spectators. Ask yourself if this ‘story’ or as it’s often called in the magic community, it’s ‘effect’ would fit with your style, be amazing, and more importantly be entertaining.  A magic trick can have an incredibly clever method. One that other magicians will be really impressed to see. The ‘method’ is stunning, but the ‘effect’ is dull to laypeople, its plot is not direct and simple. Choose the magic tricks you want to spend your precious practice time on carefully, taking into account who your audience will be.

Avoid these magic tricks for magicians

If you want to make your magic more commercial and entertaining, avoid the following:

  • Magic tricks that have overly complicated plots.
  • Magic tricks that require the spectators to remember more than one thing at a time.
  • Tricks that force the audience to pay close attention though several stages of the plot.

Save those types of tricks for your ‘magic friends’. Complicated tricks are not ‘bad’ in and of themselves, but it’s important to choose the right type of trick for the people who will be watching it.

The Merchant of Magic produces free guides, magic ebooks and videos giving advice to improve your magic. Our free newsletters can help you become a better magician and our team can suggest tricks that would suit your performing style and practice goals.

 

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