I had the pleasure of studying this move for quite sometime. Unfortunately as I was browsing online forums, I saw alot of users putting false information on the move. This might be due learning from improper sources (say, youtube videos ), or just giving away opinions with no real experience behind it, or for any other reason. Anyway, I hope this clarifies some issues. Do keep in mind that I didn’t make up any of the misconceptions here, every misconception here was taken from online magic boards.
Now, I’m obviously in no way an authority on the move or something like that, but I do think I studied the move enough to give an educated, well written info on it. I look forward to discuss the following with anyone interested.
Misconception 1: The Pass can be replaced with other sleights like the side steal.
Correction: No it cannot, as the pass is an invisible cut which is a totally different action that a single card steal ( side steals for example )
Misconception 2: The Pass is the best control.
Correction: Not true.
Its an established rule that there is no control better than other, it all depending on the trick you are performing, the construction of that particular trick. What the performer has to do is picking the control that fit the trick and make it “flow”.
To illustrate, 4 aces on top of the deck, and a break above the selection. How can you bring the selection on top of the aces? Side steal is better than the pass for this.
4 aces in middle of the deck, you have a break above them. How can you bring them to the top? The pass is the best option for this.
In many effects it doesn’t matter what the control you are using. In many cases I do the pass and follow it by a jog shuffle, this is just to practice doing the pass before a live audiance, like when you classic force every time you have a card selected.
Misconception 3: There is no need to perfect the pass, it can be done with misdirection.
Correction: Read below.
A good pass is a beautiful thing to see and a joy to watch. In Many effects that uses it, you just have to do it without misdirection. Example? New Cavorting Aces ( Kaufman’s DVD ), you color change with the darn thing.
Also, many magicians prefer to master the sleights they love and get them down cold, this includes doing the pass with no misdirection needed.
What some people don’t get is that simply saying “with misdirection”, they need to come up with natural misdirection that is so good that ALL spectators would take their eyes of the deck, you cannot accept that a single spectator is looking down on the deck because then she/he will see the pass. This remind us of the top change.
A top change is much simpler to do than the pass with misdirection, because you are holding the card in one hand, and deck in another, they both come on the deck in a split second, plus its easy to put in a natural action. In the pass, BOTH hands come to the deck and HOLD it, making it more tricky than mere top change. Simply executing the pass invisibly will make your life way easier, and make everything flow better.
If you find a top change that can be done without the need for misdirection, would you use it? ( there is such thing, Harry Lorayne’s Ultra move, or Max Milton’s One Handed top Change, whatever you want to call it! ).
Keep in mind that you still need to get the trick to flow. You don’t want to FOCUS all the attention on the deck, something like “as you can see the card is somewhere in the deck“ and do the pass. The idea is “so your card is lost” as you look to their eyes, and do the pass. If someone is looking down, everything still looks good.
Misconception 4: For me, the Pass is just a showoff move at magic conventions.
Correction: Depending on the one using it. Why do you care if others use it for show off? Is just because the pass can be “showed off”, you dismiss it? I honestly don’t know how people arrive at such conclusions.
Misconception 5: There are no effects that are “pass-Dependant”.
Correction: Wrong. Many effects can only be done with the pass. Look into Kaufman’s DVD, all the effects need the pass as a cut. Roy Wolten and Jim Swain have alot of work on the subject as well.
Misconception 6: The pass is just a “magical masturbation”
Correction: I’m assuming that the one who said this meant that many enjoy practicing it, but never do it.
the pass is a nice thing to do in the hands making it something very fun practicing it. No one can see anything wrong with that.
The concepts of the pass are extremely interesting to some magicians, so they study it. Some are interested with false deals, so they study their concepts too. Many others are interested in the S.W.E shift, so they study it. No one can argue that this is a wrong thing to do. The cardman is interested in something, he works on it.
Should we work on something knowing that we will never perform it? Of course, but only after we developed a solid base of sleights and routines, a good understanding of basic theory and a decent performing ability, to be able to perform well obviously. At any rate, some things you study only for “acadimic reasons” will serve you wel later onl one way or another.
Misconception 7: The Pass take years to practice.
Correction: It can take years to do well ( for me its 3 years, I’m no way near an expert either ), but a mentor will decrease the learning curve quite a bit. Anyway, don’t even think of it. Just practice, and time will fly by way faster than you think. For me, its like I learned the pass yesterday!
------------------
Hope this helps.
Now, I’m obviously in no way an authority on the move or something like that, but I do think I studied the move enough to give an educated, well written info on it. I look forward to discuss the following with anyone interested.
Misconception 1: The Pass can be replaced with other sleights like the side steal.
Correction: No it cannot, as the pass is an invisible cut which is a totally different action that a single card steal ( side steals for example )
Misconception 2: The Pass is the best control.
Correction: Not true.
Its an established rule that there is no control better than other, it all depending on the trick you are performing, the construction of that particular trick. What the performer has to do is picking the control that fit the trick and make it “flow”.
To illustrate, 4 aces on top of the deck, and a break above the selection. How can you bring the selection on top of the aces? Side steal is better than the pass for this.
4 aces in middle of the deck, you have a break above them. How can you bring them to the top? The pass is the best option for this.
In many effects it doesn’t matter what the control you are using. In many cases I do the pass and follow it by a jog shuffle, this is just to practice doing the pass before a live audiance, like when you classic force every time you have a card selected.
Misconception 3: There is no need to perfect the pass, it can be done with misdirection.
Correction: Read below.
A good pass is a beautiful thing to see and a joy to watch. In Many effects that uses it, you just have to do it without misdirection. Example? New Cavorting Aces ( Kaufman’s DVD ), you color change with the darn thing.
Also, many magicians prefer to master the sleights they love and get them down cold, this includes doing the pass with no misdirection needed.
What some people don’t get is that simply saying “with misdirection”, they need to come up with natural misdirection that is so good that ALL spectators would take their eyes of the deck, you cannot accept that a single spectator is looking down on the deck because then she/he will see the pass. This remind us of the top change.
A top change is much simpler to do than the pass with misdirection, because you are holding the card in one hand, and deck in another, they both come on the deck in a split second, plus its easy to put in a natural action. In the pass, BOTH hands come to the deck and HOLD it, making it more tricky than mere top change. Simply executing the pass invisibly will make your life way easier, and make everything flow better.
If you find a top change that can be done without the need for misdirection, would you use it? ( there is such thing, Harry Lorayne’s Ultra move, or Max Milton’s One Handed top Change, whatever you want to call it! ).
Keep in mind that you still need to get the trick to flow. You don’t want to FOCUS all the attention on the deck, something like “as you can see the card is somewhere in the deck“ and do the pass. The idea is “so your card is lost” as you look to their eyes, and do the pass. If someone is looking down, everything still looks good.
Misconception 4: For me, the Pass is just a showoff move at magic conventions.
Correction: Depending on the one using it. Why do you care if others use it for show off? Is just because the pass can be “showed off”, you dismiss it? I honestly don’t know how people arrive at such conclusions.
Misconception 5: There are no effects that are “pass-Dependant”.
Correction: Wrong. Many effects can only be done with the pass. Look into Kaufman’s DVD, all the effects need the pass as a cut. Roy Wolten and Jim Swain have alot of work on the subject as well.
Misconception 6: The pass is just a “magical masturbation”
Correction: I’m assuming that the one who said this meant that many enjoy practicing it, but never do it.
the pass is a nice thing to do in the hands making it something very fun practicing it. No one can see anything wrong with that.
The concepts of the pass are extremely interesting to some magicians, so they study it. Some are interested with false deals, so they study their concepts too. Many others are interested in the S.W.E shift, so they study it. No one can argue that this is a wrong thing to do. The cardman is interested in something, he works on it.
Should we work on something knowing that we will never perform it? Of course, but only after we developed a solid base of sleights and routines, a good understanding of basic theory and a decent performing ability, to be able to perform well obviously. At any rate, some things you study only for “acadimic reasons” will serve you wel later onl one way or another.
Misconception 7: The Pass take years to practice.
Correction: It can take years to do well ( for me its 3 years, I’m no way near an expert either ), but a mentor will decrease the learning curve quite a bit. Anyway, don’t even think of it. Just practice, and time will fly by way faster than you think. For me, its like I learned the pass yesterday!
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Hope this helps.
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