Routining

[elitespart]

Alright so I don't know shiz about creating a routine and I need some major help. I'm going to be performing at my graduation party and it's pretty much going to consist of me doing magic with people standing around me. Here's what I have:

Opener: Coin Bite

Middle:
-Here and there w/ Distortion (maybe)
-Witness
-The Web by Jim Pace
-Sinful or Greed
-Instinct by Matthew Mello

Closer: Control

My main concerns are that it doesn't really flow and there are too many powerful effects in one performance. Any advice would be appreciated. Also the party is August 9th so I have some time to work on this. Thanks.

 

[JonRice]

Alright, all credit for the theory behind what I am about to explain goes to a magician by the name of Eric Henning. If you want more info on this, go to www.TheWand.net and buy the tips book...that said:

The way that I have been taught to routine "sets" such as this has been in the same direction you are already heading towards. Opener, Middle, Closer.

The hard part, of course, is to pick the effects that fit best in each catagory. Your opener should be eye-candy, visual, and attention getting. Coin Bite certainly satisfies this requirement. This is a big step, because finding an opener is also one of the more difficult things to do in magic.

The middle routine should be "meaningful". This is where you place your story piece, or a more complicated, multiple phase effect with a more extensive script or patter. I feel like each of the effects you have listed could be part of your middle set. Cut the middle down only to the effects that you have rehearsed and have solid presentations for. Make sure the mechanics will NOT be an issue under any circumstances. If you are slipping up on any of those effects whatsoever, cut them. As for tying it together, the performance does not necessarily have to flow as an act would, but rather having different pieces seems perfectly satisfactorily. Eugene Burger performs his shows this way to great success.

As for tying it together, one possibilty is ending with Sinful. In this way, you could tie your show together with the pieces revolving around this quarter. It would create a smooth beginning and end.

I am just brainstorming some ideas for you here, so I hope this gets your creative juices flowing. Remember, this is all about you.

J.

 

[adjones]

Your routine should flow. The opener should be visual, fun... something to get them "hooked". The first middle effect should be less strong than your opener, but everything after that should build to your closer, which will blow them away and leave them wanting more.

You're right, you have too many strong effects in there, and they don't flow. The problem I see with many magicians today is that they get all caught up in the hype of t11 and E, and buy all their products, most of which are powerful things, and should probably be used as closers. Therefore, they don't have many DVDs/Books that cover TONS of possibly a little less powerful material.

Which means that when they're routining, all they have are these powerhouse effects that they can't use as opener/middle effects. And this is where they get stuck. Whereas someone like me... I have plenty of "closer" effects from theory11, and one from E... but I also have hundreds of effects from DVDs and Books that I can fall back on for my "Middle" stuff in my routines.

So get some good books and DVDs, and check that out. Here are some things I have that I highly recommend:

-The Paper Engine by Aaron Fisher
-J.B. Bobo's Modern Coin Magic
-Royal Road to Card Magic
-13 Steps to Mentalism
-Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
-Pyrotechnic Pasteboards by Gregory Wilson
-Card Stunts by Gregory Wilson
-Session by Joshua Jay (definitely one of the most awesomest magic books in existance)

As I don't have my magic trunk with me, those are all I can think of off the top of my head. Get some of those things, and learn some "Middle of the Routine" material- it will help you immensely.

Now, also keep in mind that although those books do have "Middle Material", you can also use any of them as Closers. Presentation is a HUGE part of magic, and I couldn't put it better than this quote from Royal Road to Card Magic:

Many years ago David Devant, the great English conjurer, was approached by an acquaintance new to sleight-of-hand with cards. "Mr. Devant," said this young man, "I know three hundred tricks with cards. How many do you know?" Devant glanced at the youth quizzically. "I should say," the magician responded drily, "that I know about 8."

Devant was making a point with which all professional magicians are familiar. To perform card tricks entertainingly, you must not only know how the tricks are done, but how to do them. There is a vast difference between the two, and if proof were needed, one need only watch the same feat performed by a novice and by an expert card conjurer. The novice knows the mechanics of so many tricks that he cannot do any one feat really well; the professional performs a smaller number of tricks which he knows how to present in such a way as to create the greatest possibly impression upon those who watch.

Hope I could help!

 

[Guardian452]

make the FLOW!!!!!

all you have are effects, do effects that have the same theme, what i do for a basic routine is

biddle trick
ambitous card
some sankey effect with the signatures off of firestarters.

everything flows and is in place from amazement starting lower to getting higher. keep that in mind when routining

 

[dragon521]

That is not a routine. When routining you have to keep coin tricks with coin tricks, card tricks with card tricks and mentalism with mentalism (90% of the tme) and make smooth transitions between them at the very least. Also when you have that many powerful effects in one routine they tend to take away from each other.

If you want to start out with coins then Coin Bite is a good opener. You could follow it up with sinful and if you want you can produce a couple more coins and do a coin across routine. Vanish all the coins and then move on to cards. Do a couple simple tricks; force and then reveal, transpostition, sanwitch routine etc. and then if you want you could do distortion followed by the web. That would be more of a routine.

 

[JonRice]

Just quickly hopping in:

I don't think you have to necessarily routine it into an "act." What you have here now is a show, which consist of many separate, unrelated performance pieces. This is just as effective as a long "routine" might be. Just giving a few different performance theories.

Ex: Jeff McBride: 1. Masks. 2. Water Bowls. 3. Card Manipulation. Etc.

Have an idea of a flow, but don't just necessarily make it one long routine unless that is what you really want to do.

J.

 

[elitespart]

Wow...great stuff. Thanks a lot. Like I said I'm a total noob at this. I'll take all your advice into account and fix the routine up. Here's what I'm thinking:

Start with Coin Bite and then move into either greed or sinful, both of which allow me to give the coin away and kinda allow me to transition into card magic. Do Here and There, and a couple other simple effects like Biddle Trick. Move on to Witness, The Web, and finally finish up with Control.

 

[bicyclemagik]

Alright so I don't know shiz about creating a routine and I need some major help. I'm going to be performing at my graduation party and it's pretty much going to consist of me doing magic with people standing around me. Here's what I have:

Opener: Coin Bite

Middle:
-Here and there w/ Distortion (maybe)
-Witness
-The Web by Jim Pace
-Sinful or Greed
-Instinct by Matthew Mello

Closer: Control

My main concerns are that it doesn't really flow and there are too many powerful effects in one performance. Any advice would be appreciated. Also the party is August 9th so I have some time to work on this. Thanks.

Not a bad idea, but I'd reccommend you finish with distortion. Always save the most powerful effect for last, because after that nothing is gonna be super-impressive.

For routining you should have a few decks set up with a few different tricks. Like, have 3 decks of blue bikes in your pocket's, and at different times, casually put one away and take out another, as if it's the same one, while pattering. I'd reccomend Smooth Operations by KH, it's got some unbelievable magician and laypeople killers in it.

"Too many powerful effects in one routine" - trust me, that is NOT a bad thing. Btw, if you ever have time, pick up the art of astonishment by Paul Harris. Overkill and Whack your pack are two of the coolest tricks I've ever learned.

Oh yes, I'd also reccomend putting together an ambitious card routine. They absolutely kill, if you do it right. For the routine, besides using classic stuff like dl's and passes, throw in a face up elvator card, mabey shifty or something; as well as the silver surfer.

Another tip that you don't nesescarily have to use because it's just a tip:
For 4 card routines, you can go a really long way with just the 4 cards, for example: Start off with don't fear the reaper, by Aaron Fisher (found in the Paper Engine), or just use some 4 of a kind production, like two wild jokers or w/e you like, then once you have the cards do the Asher Twist or something. And from there, while you have the four cards, you can always go into Thank You LePaul, then from there the queens, then the collectors. That's what I like to do, totally up to you. Squeeze as many routines that involve 4 cards into this.

Anyways, best of luck. Try to open with your least powerful trick and build your way up. Also, if you feel there's a lot of powerful stuff, throw in some 'cool' impromptu magic. Mabey some of your own, or if you don't have any, things like subway are cool.

 

[darosa.justin]

IF you think about this way, it'd be much easier to routine an act.

A musician is hired to perform at a party.

So he brings a truck full of his 'stuff'. He starts playig Mozart on the piano, so the mood is probably....whatever Mozart's is. Next, he goes on to play the trumpet, so it becomes a jazzy mood. But then, he takes out his electric guitar and starts playing emo music, following by beatboxing with a mic.

That's all music, but obviously, it just doesn't flow!

Just like you 'magic'. It's all magic, but it just doesn't fit.

 

[koolfue8]

I No What U Mean!!!!!!!

ok i am also pretty new at routing (i think i spelled that wrong) and am really looking 2 do a great job right now my opener is biddle trick i though that the transposition from my hands 2 theirs would be a great attention grabber then i plan 2 make a small joke using their card between my opener and the main middle effect which is like a "have u ever heard of a magician not call their tricks tricks but illusions well what if i could tell u that ur card the (name selected card) has been an illusion and would do the first change in a small color change routine posted here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6-5oH4I2oQ) and then go "well i dont believe in illusions" and perform the second change i thought the "joke" would be really visual also dont say the youtube link was a bad video and u could see what i did i do it better now but i want 2 get it a little better before re posting it after that "joke" i would do card to mouth i really like the trick and it works well with just being able 2 slide the card into the deck and then show to on top of a packet and then push it in and have it end up in my mouth and for my ending trick i plan on doing either 5 speed by chris kenner (i absolutely love this effect THANK YOU CHRIS) or do control by saying something like ok lets put the cards down for a second and move on to something a little more "dangerous" and then do it also i would have this joking kind of face when i say dangerous so im picking between those if have any comments on this plz say something