How to talk like a magician?

[Sean.Cinco]

I suggest Googling Wonder Words by Kenton Knepper. It's all about using your words to engage and influence your audience.

 

[Randy]

I beg to differ...

I think sometimes a script so memorized can sound fake...

let´s say you have an exact script for a 3fly...so you are talking and then some spectator asks you something that you weren´t planing...you cannot foresee the answers or questions that the spectators might say...also I don´t like to hear memorized patter

I like to use patter, but it´s like some general patter or idea and then I elaborate in the moment, I would say I have 50% memorized and 50% impromptu...

that gives plenty of room for the audience to participate and it doesn´t break the performance...since everyone is feeling part of the show

I think you misunderstood what I said.

I said that having a script memorized can help you out a lot because it is like a map, Sense you know the map like the back of your hand. You end up being a lot more confident in your words and actions. This "map" also enables to stray from the beaten path. IE: you stop performing, interact with the spectators and etc. But being that you have the map, you are also able to get back on the right path and continue performing and looking professional.

Go read a Mastering the Art of Magic by Eugene Burger. He talks about that subject.

 

[RikAllen]

On top of Wonder Words, get Pete McCabe's Scripting Magic.

Even if you never write a script it will help your magic.

 

[FelixBodden]

Hi there,

I've been watching many magicians (DB, DW, DG, ME, etc.) perform and I am astonished how their voice can influence the people around them. I would want to be able to capture my audience not only with the magic, but with my voice. Is there any resource I can learn from in how to talk like a magician?

Magic is an art, I respect it, I want to audience to feel what I am feeling when I perform (in the future).

Suggest.

The only thing you have to do is believe all the bullsh*t that you are telling them, if you believe that you can fly they are going to believe it too.

 

[Elite Prestidigitation]

There is no such thing as "talking" like a magician...In fact I am 100% against Old School magicians who use their corny lines....Don't be a magician....be a regular dude performing an effect..I hate it when fooders act a certain way and change their tone of voice as soon as an effect starts.


As for me...I have a really great voice..Essentially the voice of a Greek Goodess..My voice is on par with that of the Elite Sirens...As soon as I talk people listen.

 

[Luis Vega]

I think you misunderstood what I said.

I said that having a script memorized can help you out a lot because it is like a map, Sense you know the map like the back of your hand. You end up being a lot more confident in your words and actions. This "map" also enables to stray from the beaten path. IE: you stop performing, interact with the spectators and etc. But being that you have the map, you are also able to get back on the right path and continue performing and looking professional.

Go read a Mastering the Art of Magic by Eugene Burger. He talks about that subject.

I still defend my point...

I was doing a trick the other day...and I had a sequence of lines to say during the trick and then somebody said "so, this is like Uri Geller" and I just stop and while doing the trick I changed my lines and my patter, and related the trick to Uri Geller and the spectators continued to participate...it felt so organic,that`s how I do magic

In the scenario you are saying I found another way in the map and I found it was more entertaining than the original..

I think you should stop reading books and start performing more...you`ll find out than sometimes life is nothing like the book says..

 

[Luis Vega]

As for me...I have a really great voice..Essentially the voice of a Greek Goodess..My voice is on par with that of the Elite Sirens...As soon as I talk people listen.

so..you are a girl?

 

[SebaMan]

Has anyone read "El libro o No olvides señalar" (The Book or Don't forget to point) ? There is an essay about improvisation within the lines of patter. Here is the link if you guys have the time to read it

Status and Improvisation

 

[S.G]

Hehe, E-P is Extremely-Pretty.

Hehe.

 

[MalibuARMY]

Be yourself. Do what you want. Talk like you want. Don't try to be other people. The truth is they just talk and build up the suspense by talking and being themselves.

 

[Shakutau]

Now. Someone has truely posted something that gets us started of this long journey, of filtering the good, from the bad. The Clowns from the Magicians. The Warriors from Deserters. I am suprised at the amount of information here, which barely touches on what he needs. You guys suggest classes, books, resources that help teach you things that are only a fraction of what it is.

But have you considered one thing?

Masked Visitor who started this topic. Its not what you say (patter). Its not how you say it (all the techniques you can learn - linguistic deception, patter construction, timing, word tailoring for a specific person/mood/situation). But the intent. Remember that.

Why?

I openly tell you. Not all can become a Magician. To the least they label themselves as one. But with no Soul.

Do you have the Soul Masked Visitor? That is the key.

 

[Cedric Taylor]

Not really if you can talk like a magician. You can just talk like yourself. But i think i may know what you mean. Just take what you like from each guy. Use it. What you don't like. Fix it or don't use it. And still be yourself and you should be fine....

In a perfect world, I would love to talk like Mike Henry....(yeah the voice over guy) but I just stick with what i know....

 

[JamesAV305]

Now. Someone has truely posted something that gets us started of this long journey, of filtering the good, from the bad. The Clowns from the Magicians. The Warriors from Deserters. I am suprised at the amount of information here, which barely touches on what he needs. You guys suggest classes, books, resources that help teach you things that are only a fraction of what it is.

But have you considered one thing?

Masked Visitor who started this topic. Its not what you say (patter). Its not how you say it (all the techniques you can learn - linguistic deception, patter construction, timing, word tailoring for a specific person/mood/situation). But the intent. Remember that.

Why?

I openly tell you. Not all can become a Magician. To the least they label themselves as one. But with no Soul.

Do you have the Soul Masked Visitor? That is the key.

I applaude your attempt to be deep, however I don't think you really know what you are talking about. If you study communication, one of the most basic things you will learn is that "intent" is completely irrelevant. This especially applies to magic. Magic has everything to do with your audience's perception. If you deliver a really clever line, but your spectator misunderstands what you meant and takes offense, regardless of how you intended it, that line is now offensive. It makes no difference what you truly meant by it. Intent is irrelevant.

To quote Robert Houdin, "A magician is an Actor playing the role of a magician". It makes no difference if you have what you refer to as "soul", you only need to give the apperance of "soul". It is all about perception.

 

[Silver Ace]

Read Win the Crowd by Steve Cohen. It has some stuff about influencing people by how you say something as well as many other useful showmanship techniques. You can get it at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and maybe your library (which is where I got mine).

 

[Shakutau]

I applaude your attempt to be deep, however I don't think you really know what you are talking about. If you study communication, one of the most basic things you will learn is that "intent" is completely irrelevant. This especially applies to magic. Magic has everything to do with your audience's perception. If you deliver a really clever line, but your spectator misunderstands what you meant and takes offense, regardless of how you intended it, that line is now offensive. It makes no difference what you truly meant by it. Intent is irrelevant.

To quote Robert Houdin, "A magician is an Actor playing the role of a magician". It makes no difference if you have what you refer to as "soul", you only need to give the apperance of "soul". It is all about perception.

There is, when you perform, a wall between the Advocator and the Audience all the time. This wall is the distortion to all our fantasies and expectations both to our Craft and to the Message they receive. In the end, most of us never completely satisfied. And so we work to break that wall between us. When we transcend it, we see a new horizon.

However, have you noticed there is one more wall that comes before that parodoctal wall? The wall that is inside ourselves? The wall only a FEW break? That was what my contribution above ment.

Maybe one day friend. Maybe one day you'll feel the same way I do. I sure hope so.

 

[Mental-State]

I applaude your attempt to be deep, however I don't think you really know what you are talking about. If you study communication, one of the most basic things you will learn is that "intent" is completely irrelevant. This especially applies to magic. Magic has everything to do with your audience's perception. If you deliver a really clever line, but your spectator misunderstands what you meant and takes offense, regardless of how you intended it, that line is now offensive. It makes no difference what you truly meant by it. Intent is irrelevant.

To quote Robert Houdin, "A magician is an Actor playing the role of a magician". It makes no difference if you have what you refer to as "soul", you only need to give the apperance of "soul". It is all about perception.

before you talk or say anything you need to know where it came from so you can fix it. yeah you can make it 99% great with learning acting etc.

the point where u say


If you deliver a really clever line, but your spectator misunderstands what you meant and takes offense, regardless of how you intended it, that line is now offensive. It makes no difference what you truly meant by it. Intent is irrelevant.

the point is 1st what is it you intend to do. in this example not offend. then you can work out how not to do that. 90% of what goes on in the brain is subconsous. this means you will say things in your performance and not know where it came from. someone people may say that thewy like to entertain people and like to make them happy when deep down they just like fooling people and feeling smarter (there is nothing wrong with that though i guess). this will leak in the performance even if the person doesnt know it.
if you dont know what you want to do how are u ever going to do it. so intent is the 1st this to think about.

it is not enough to just put jokes in to make people laugh, why do you want them to laugh? why does magic have to make people laugh? why do u need to make people laugh when u do magic? what do u get out of making people laugh? doe it help the performance.

im not going to start a discussion on is magic an art (wrong place at the forum) but though who do believe then must see that everything you do or say (or dont do or say) will have an effect. everything adds to the tones of the painting you are creating.




btw
Kenton Knepper ftw