Btw, pass was never meant to be done on an off beat. Like Vernon said, pass should be done as soon as your hands come together after squaring up the deck (or picking up the deck to cancel the cut). Aaron Fisher also talks about that. If you hold a break, and than you relax and wait for an off beat to do your pass, as soon as your hands come together to do the pass, everyone will look at the deck. So you definitely don't want that.
Yes, I agree and knew what Dai Vernon has said. But you can relax using both hands on the deck at once. To further something you spoke of earlier about magician's staring at their hands while performing I'd like to tell a bit of real life observations I've had working at Starbucks.
Starbucks is a fast paced environment, our store goes through an average of 300 drinks in an hour during the morning rush 6-10am. That is a lot of drinks! Needless to say we have to work as a team to get everything done in a timely manner. However, that is not what I want to get at. I work the drive through window, that is all I do. Now in this drive through, there is a camera at the speaker so we can see if there is actually a car has pulled up. I've noticed and seen many things people do in their cars while at the drive through, everything from cleaning up spittle to take a hit from a bong. One thing that I've noticed that always pulls their attention to the speaker, is a change of inflection in my voice. It never fails to get their attention from whatever they are doing.
Another thing is when they come to the window and they hand me their credit card or money. If I want them to look up from their purse or from wherever they are looking, I ask in a slightly elevated tone, "Would you like a receipt," While my hands make a slight jerk upward toward my head. They for the most part look me in the eye at that moment. You are probably wondering what this has to do with magic right?
Well body language is everything! That is what I am getting at. True the pass should be performed when your hands come together but it should also be performed on the offbeat. When you put the card into the middle of the deck, you want to at first catch the eyes of your spectators then look down. They'll more then likely turn their focus to the deck as you push the card into the center of the deck. Once your hands are together on the deck and the card is pushed squarely into the deck, use your body and voice to basically command the audience to look back up at your face. You could use a slight pulse upward as if pointing toward your face and accompany it with, "Cindy. You saw your card get pushed into the deck...." "Now that was a fair cut, wouldn't you agree, John did a good job making this harder for me." Yuck yuck pass is done.
Okie doe, onto the points I disagree with made by MarkH.
I honestly think that the 'Classic Pass' is outdated. We live in a modern society, one in which tomatoes and cucumbers are called vegetables rather than fruits. Why would we be so fascinated with something called the 'Classic Pass' and its classic handling?
First of all your description on modern society amused me to no end. Out of all the technological advances our society has made over the last sentinel you chose tomatoes and cucumber are fruits…Furthering, you say this statement, "Why would we be so fascinated with something called the '
Classic Pass' and its
classic handling?" WHAT??? Sure at first glance Classic may be a turn off to most beginner magicians who don't know their left foot from the right foot, but as they continue on their either long lived journey or very short lived journey through magic, they'll soon discover the classic pass and it's importance for card magicians. It is the foundation of most "Modern day" passes and should be learned and mastered before moving onto more advanced techniques.
Over time, the spectator's way of looking at magic has changed and still is changing every day. Laymen are getting much more into burning the magician's hands compared to in the past in which they had a much more panoramic view towards our art.
Nope I don't agree with this one either. First of all, what do you mean by "panoramic view towards our art."? Secondly, spectators aren't becoming more hand burners now a day, magicians are becoming in your face magic douches. Pardon my wording. Magicians (talking about most peer and beginner magicians and street magic special wannabes) have no idea how to properly present a magic trick. Instead they either passively or bluntly state with their body language and verbiage taunt spectators to try and figure out what the magician is doing. That is no bueno.
In parlor magic you would be still safe,
Well durrrrrrr you are farther away from your spectators. This statement I agree with.
but in close-up magic I would beg to differ. Of course it also depends on the culture you are living and performing in. I noticed that Western-Europe has shifted the most already, second comes the US, and Eastern-Europe and the rest of the world slowly follows now too.
Follows what exactly? Close-up magicians can and do get away with performing the classic pass in it's classical handling still. I do it twice in an acr/card/deck to pocket and never been caught. Though admittedly I only perform it every so often since I now consider myself a hobbiest magician and magic enthusiast of 11+ years.
Also the magician's way of performing magic is changing...
This I agree with and that is it.
The 'Classic Pass' was never meant nor constructed to be an in-your-face and show-off kind of sleight,…
This I agree with.
yet that is what it became.
Zaaa? No it has not at all. When is the last time I've seen a close-up magician, in the traditional sense, perform the classic pass as a show off move? Um NEVER!!!!
It's supposed to be an invisible utility move to control a card or block of cards to the top or bottom of the deck. I am not sure where you are getting the idea that people are using the classic pass as a means to show off skill. *Turns a blind eye to the youtube videos*
That is also how the 'Charlier Pass' became a 'One-Handed Cut' and a flourish instead of staying the secret sleight it once was. Not to forget that cardistry is bigger than ever before, and fast fingers are a whole lot faster now too. There is a lot more magic involved when doing something slowly than to give the spectators a feeling that you just have very fast fingers and confirming that by doing a 'Classic Pass' the classic way.
You know what the key difference between the two passes are? One was meant for stage, the other was meant for closeup. The Charlier pass is a one handed shift or cut and always was. To compare a utility move of the classic pass to a move that was originally meant to be covered by the turning of your back to the audience is silly. The classic pass is not a show off move, but a stealth move and shouldn't even be made aware of in a performing environment and has nothing to do with cardistry or flourishing! If that was the case I'd of submitted a video of me performing the many variation of passes I know, montaged together with dana hocking music going in the background to one of the SNC flourishing videos!
Due to the shifts of both the spectators' ways of looking towards the art and the magicians' ways of performing magic, the classic methods for the pass shouldn't be done in their original ways anymore. Definitely not in close-up magic, if it was up to me to say.
Good thing it isn't yours to say.
If you can wait a month or two for my re-release on this, or hook up with me on any instant messenger or on Tinychat, I can talk in a more detailed and exposed way about this. Personally, I would consider this thread to be exposure.
Now this I really have to raise an eyebrow at. The fact that you may be coming out with another variation of pass as a means to make money makes you BIASED. You could be saying all of the above statements as a way to HYPE YOUR PRODUCT. You should understand my skepticism and why I am pushing my points.
Also what the **** is being exposed?????
But why would you want to do it? What exactly is the reason for learning it? If you say to impress laypeople with it. Guess what, lay people don't care about how fast or good you are. They don't think like magicians, they see the bigger picture. It's just redundant to use it for a card control or pretty much what most kids these days tend to think it's used for.
I agree with you Randy. But I still perform it as a control because I spent a lot of time learning it. Might as well use it right?
It's awesome to be able to show a selection really going into the middle of the deck. It adds so much to any 'ACR'. And because of its maaaaany different uses, if you learn the 'Pass' you don't have to learn many other moves instead. This could also add consistency to your magic and spectators care a lot about that because it makes everything a whole lot less suspicious as long as you do it right.
To be honest, you seem to be stuck to the thought of it being a card control but it is so much more than that. You should know better than those kids.
What can you use the pass for other then a card control. I don't mean as a "single card" control, but a control of cards or block of cards? Also I am beginning to believe you are not much older then me and i am 21 and still consider myself a "kid" compared to the humble elders of magic.