Remember Why You Picked That Magic Trick

Ever wondered why you picked that magic trick? If you are like most people, you send a LOT of time browsing through the thousands of magic tricks on your favorite magic sites. You heard about a great new trick that has been released, or stumbled across it, and the demo of the trick really fooled you. Did you choose the trick mainly because you were entertained by the performance? Did you pick it because you can’t work out how it was done? Maybe you chose it because you instantly thought ‘That’s it! That’s the magic trick I’ve been searching for to complete my set’ If the only reason you picked it was because it fooled you, chances are it’s probably not the right trick to work on 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.

Why you picked that magic trick: Remember the feeling the demo/trailer gave you.

WARNING! As soon as you open the trick you are no longer a spectator. When you find out its secret, the power of the trick to amaze you will go instantly. That feeling of being fooled, the mystery and excitement it gave you is over. What you have left are the possibilities that the trick can give you for amazing YOUR spectators.

It’s vital that you take a moment to remember how you felt before you knew the secret.

It sounds corny, but why not grab your phone and record or video yourself talking about the trick, before you know the secret. You want to have a reminder of the bafflement and excitement you feel. When you start the learning process, it’s very easy to forget this and lose faith in the effect and it’s ability to amaze people.

As you stare at the gimmicked card, or little magnet in the packet, it’s so easy to feel disappointment, but that’s a trap. The method has nothing to do with the feeling the trick gave you before you knew the secret. If those simple little gimmicks produced that feeling, they are incredible and worth solid gold to you. If that feeling of disappointment hits you, just watch the video of yourself talking about the trick before you found out its secret. The power of the trick still had a hold on you. The simple little gimmick or most basic of self working card tricks, can have just as much an impact as the most complex methods. They really do have that power when used on people that don’t know its secret. Don’t ever lose sight of that.

We would love to hear your tips and advice for choosing a magic trick. Tell us why you picked that magic trick you do most often.. Please add them to the comments section below:

Use a Magicians Change Bag – A Secret for Mind Reading Beginners

by Merchant of Magic 1 Comment

Here’s a little secret for anyone starting out learning mind reading. A magicians change bag can be one of the best tools a mentalist can add to their working kit.

HANG ON.. For mentalists… Isn’t that something for kids shows?

If you already use a change bag, you will understand just how useful they can be for your show offering an easy and effective method for forcing, predictions and many more psychological tricks such as those performed by Derren Brown. If you don’t use one, or if you think your bag may need updating, then read on as I tip you off, to the best change bags on the market.

The traditional use:

1) Show the change bag empty. Then put an item inside, turn it inside out and the item has totally vanished!
2) Now, turn the bag inside out so you can show it empty, just before you reach into the change bag and the item re-appears!

Now for Mentalists…

1) Write a batch of numbers on bit’s of paper and throw them into the magicians change bag

2) Now fill the second section with bit’s of paper that all have the same number on them.
You now have a great self working force device. You spectator can examine the paper to see they are all different, yet when they reach in to choose one, they can only come out with the number YOU want them to pick.

I’m sure you can think of a million different way’s you can use this force in your routines.

Or this…

Have audience members write a word on a bit of paper and put them in the bag.

Invite another audience member to reach in and choose one of the contributions. (They can only choose the one you want them to select) You then go on to reveal a prediction that matches their selection.

The problem with change bags!

Lets face it, they look corny for mentalists. As they have been traditionally designed for kids magic shows, they tend to be finished in bright colours and scream PROP at the top of their voices.

The good news is that there is now a range that look professional and would fit in with the corporate context that many mentalists like to present their work in.

Bags that don’t look like a clown owns them:

There are a great many magicians change bags to choose from, and they really range in quality and price. We have picked a few of the best that tend to be chosen most by professional entertainers.

Recommended magicians change bag for mentalists

Do you use a change bag for mentalism? If so, please let us know about it and any tips you would like to share, in the comments section below.

Magicians Fingernails – A Quiet Word in Your Ear

by Merchant of Magic 3 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

“Psst.. Over here… Listen! I’ve got some advice that you need to know. You won’t hear it from your family and friends, your agent probably assumes you already do it, and your clients don’t really want to think about it… It’s your fingernails, seriously, you need to do something about them!”

What would you think, if someone took you aside on a gig and told you that? It would be very embarrassing, but it does need to be said.

If you perform close up magic tricks in restaurants or at tables, you need to make sure your hands look good. I’m not just being metrosexual here, it’s a basic level of professionalism and hygiene that really should be followed if your hands are on show. A restaurant puts a lot of care and attention to every detail of the table, the plates, the cutlery and the food. Your hands also form part of that display and should be pleasing to look at.

Magicians Fingernails

I was working at trade show recently with another magician and got into conversation about how often he changes his deck of cards. The magician told me he makes sure he uses a new deck of bicycle playing cards at every gig, as his cards go grey at the edges and he feels they don’t look professional. I couldn’t help noticing the state his hands were in. His nails were a homage to a gardening TV show hosted by Freddy Krueger.

Your hands are the tools of your trade, showing pride in them is not vanity, it’s something that reflects on your whole act.

Many barber shops now offer a nail service too. You can get your nails done and cuticles removed every other week with your haircut. If you are nervous about going to a nail bar to have a manicure, there really isn’t any need to. Most of their customers are female, but they all have a LOT of male customers too. Just tell them you are a close up magician and relax. If you prefer, do a quick google search and it will bring up a load of mobile manicurists that can pop over to your home and fix your nails in private. You can even do it yourself.

Check out this guide for the perfect magicians fingernails

There’s no need to have clear vanish applied to your nails, although many professional men do, but you should at least have them trimmed shaped and the cuticles removed.

Still think it’s only for girls? Just be aware of it for a few days:

Notice how many of the male TV presenters have perfect nails.
If you have a stack of magic DVDs go though them and sort out the ones featuring top working professional magicians. Check out their hands.
Watch the shopping channels and look at the hands of the presenters. Even the DIY guys have great looking nails.

While I’m on the subject of personal hygiene and magicians fingernails, I should also add that a clothes brush, and can of deodorant should also be in your close up magic case. Sometimes a long gig in a marque can get very hot. And looking and smelling your best should be a standard feature, not an added bonus.

There… I’ve said it… I’m glad we could have this little chat…