Chris Kenner's Shifty Question

[Chase]

Well... maybe not a question so much as a desperate plea for encouragement.

Shifty is not particularly complex, but it is kicking my @$$.

I've been working on it off and on for a month and a half. Breakthroughs were small and infrequent.

This week I had a light work load so I put in a ton of extra practice. Saw Dark Knight two more times, Stepbrothers, and XFiles, all while working on Shifty in the back row.

I'm ready to throw the cards across the room and give it up. It's still messy, still loud, and still not deceptive. I've tried changing the cards (Bikes, Spades, Tallys, Aladdins, ... some ones with kittys on them that I found in a hotel, everything.)

Anybody have any advice/encouragement/practice techniques? It's been a long time since I had this much trouble learning an effect or move. Don't know what my problem is.

 

[Toby]

Only advice i can give you is, dont practise that hard and often. Dont do it for a couple of days (a week maybe), and practise something else. Than after a week try again, it should show improvement.

This way you will only get more frustrated, and no progres will be made. Trust me, just dont do it for a week.

 

[pro_found]

hey man.... i personally have not purchased shifty, but from watching it i guess it uses the swe shift, if that is right it is just simply a hard shift to do ...all i can recomend is to maybe read erdnase's description and thoughts on the move....i belive he says ' when the shift is mastered it is just pressure on the two halfs in opposite directions, and they will reverse like a flash....
peace!

 

[Squ!rrel]

hey man.... i personally have not purchased shifty, but from watching it i guess it uses the swe shift, if that is right it is just simply a hard shift to do ...all i can recomend is to maybe read erdnase's description and thoughts on the move....i belive he says ' when the shift is mastered it is just pressure on the two halfs in opposite directions, and they will reverse like a flash....
peace!

This version doesn't use the SWE Shift or a pass of any kind.

I agree that you shouldn't be practicing it this much, after a while you just start to get frustrated and the practicing becomes unproductive. I would recommend watching the video and checking the finger positioning very carefully. Practice it for 10 - 20 minutes very slowly then stop and do something else. Continue doing this each day and you should make some progress.

 

[magicmaster]

It is not the SWE shift. Chris said that in the video. This is just a revamped and easier version of S.W. Elevator. Hey Chase, I have a tip on how to make it silent and invisible, so if you want, send me a PM.

 

[Randomwrath]

Hey, I heard this was an easy move to do (from somewhere). Is it worth getting?

 

[magicmaster]

Yeh, definitely! And it is pretty easy to do. You won't regret buying it.

 

[holo]

chances are, you are simply making a minor mistake that can be fixed easily. the hard part is finding what it is. Try watching the video again, and actually get someone to watch you. for some reason i find that mirrors arent accurate when watching yourself do it.

 

[JackOSpadesNik]

I picked it up pretty quick. I think your doing something wrong in the handling. Try watching the video again, and make sure you have everything right.


P.S How did you practice during The Dark Knight? It was so awesome, my eyes were glued to the screen, and my hands had to be on the arm bars.

 

[Chase]

Thanks guys.

I'm putting it down for another week. I have a long flight next monday. Might pick it up again then.

I've taken breaks from it before. It's just frustrating after 25 years of magic when you come across a simple and beautiful move that you just can't master. I thought maybe I could just power-practice through it, but that's not working either.

Any other tip or encouragement is welcome.

Thanks!

PS.
I practiced during Dark Knight cuz it was my fourth and fifth times to see it. Forget it being one of my favorite superhero movies... it's one of my favorite CRIME movies. It's up there with Road to Perdition, Heat, and The Untouchables.

PPS.
I don't mean for this to discourage anyone from buying Shifty. It's great, and, in premise, requires a simple move. It's just a total blockage on my part. Every once and a while it happens.

 

[Randomwrath]

Any other tip or encouragement is welcome.

This is the encouragement bit. Keep going. It'll be great once you've got it and you'll feel so great about yourself. Good luck (and may the force be with you (in fact wouldn't the force make this "magic" thing so much easier?)).

 

[SimSiggaard]

What I found on the sound problem was that If you move your hands slowly.. sounds weird and seems like it will flash all over the place, but when combined with the upwards movement of the deck, just like Kenner does it, it is completely unnoticeable.

Hope it helped

SimSiggaard