Tips on where to learn mentalism?

Vastago

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2007
65
1
Mexico
Well... hello there guys...

I have been practicing magic for over a year and a half, and since the beginning i was impressed by the mentalism, but i recognized that mentalism tricks are more than "sleight of hand" and a pretty smile...

I don't know where to get mentalism stuff or what stuff is the right one for a beginner...

So im asking for that info, i guess there should be at least a guy who is into mentalism here...

I would appreciate any tips on books, videos or even authors or performers that handle "begginer friendly" stuff...


I would love to perform some of derren brown stuff but that things must be super hard to pull off.


Anyway... thanks in advance and i hope i can get some answers...
 
May 19, 2008
448
0
manchester
I would love to perform some of derren brown stuff but that things must be super hard to pull off.

stuff that look hard and things that are hard are two very different things.

If you know sleight of hand then perfect a force and make up a presentation and make it seem like mind reading, if you like it then buy a book or two (fundamentals by cassidy is supposed to be good, and practical mental effects is also good)

after these buy 13 steps (to mentalism) by coriander.

your set for quite a long time now ;)
 

Vastago

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2007
65
1
Mexico
Yeah, i have done stuf like that..

I have been told by fellow magicians to work on my presentation, making it look more like mental...

So far i have developed 1 mentalism trick... using a force.

But im working on different stuff (without a deck of cards).

mmmm ok, any E-books i should consider?

I doubt there are mentalism videos...
 
May 19, 2008
448
0
manchester
their are videos/dvds if thats what you mean.

e-books, try lybray.com (I think it is)
it has loads of books as an e-book really cheap, also pick up tricks of the mind by derren brown to get an idea of his kind of stuff.
 
Jan 13, 2008
1,137
0
I've seen threads like this before...try using the search function. :)

As for mentalism vidoes, there are MANY. The best, in the opinion of many, would be Banachek's Psi Series. But, there are more out there. :)
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
It's Lybrary dot com.

And there a ton of mentalism books and DVDs out there. My advice is to go to Lybrary dot com and start with Bob Cassidy's Fundamentals. There is no better beginner's guide to mentalism than that.
 
May 12, 2009
32
0
You could also look into material by Richard Osterlind and Psi Series by Banachek.
I actually find myself using quite a bit of Luke Jermay's material.
Not everything that Derren Brown does is complicated. It's his construction of the routine and patter that make it seem amazing.
 
Sep 1, 2007
165
0
I am a professional mentalist and people often contact me for advice on getting started in mentalism. Here's a great way to start...

You know there's a book called Corinda's 13 Steps To Mentalism. Buy a copy. And then don't buy anything else. In fact, take all the money that you were thinking of spending on other books and tricks and tapes and props over the next year. Put it all back in your bank account except for 10%, and send that 10% to me for this advice I am giving. This advice is worth it. I've just saved you lots and lots and lots of money.

Study Corinda. Using just that book, get yourself to the stage where, if you want to, you can entertain people for 10 minutes at a party.

That's all. That's the target. To be able to do 10 minutes at a party, among friends or strangers, anytime you want - with confidence, and so that you enjoy it and they enjoy it and you all have a good time. This is not easy. It's an ambitious target, and it will take time. But it's a wonderful feeling when you get there!

IF you can get that far, using just Corinda, then you can start spreading your wings, buying other stuff, learning some other material. By then, you'll have developed enough good judgement to know what's worth buying and what isn't.

IF you can not get that far, then may I suggest you just give up. Go and do something else. There's no point buying and reading other stuff, because none of it will do you any good. You'll never get anywhere. At least not in mentalism.
 
To beat a dead horse: Buy Corinda's 13 steps. Snuff said. It really is the foundation behind anything mental you'd ever want to do. Also look around for some of Derren Brown's ebooks. He's got some good work, and Max Mavin's Color theorys. (IF you can find them.) They are published under the name Phil Goldstein(sp?)
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
You know there's a book called Corinda's 13 Steps To Mentalism. Buy a copy. And then don't buy anything else. In fact, take all the money that you were thinking of spending on other books and tricks and tapes and props over the next year.

Because performance theory is for babies, am I right?

Honestly, give me one good reason why someone shouldn't spend the $30 to buy Fundamentals. I have yet to hear a single person explain to me a convincing argument why this is not the best beginner's guide to mentalism.

He's got some good work, and Max Mavin's Color theorys. (IF you can find them.) They are published under the name Phil Goldstein(sp?)

They're currently being published in a compilation called PRISM.
 
Mar 6, 2008
1,483
3
A Land Down Under
Maven's colour series is easy to find as it was recently reprinted as PRISM. I would recommend NOT getting 13 steps to begin with. There is just too much information in it and a lot of the routines will scare you. Fundamentals is amazing and you should defiantly look into it. However as a mentalist you really need to look at the way you present your material and fundamentals can really help that.
 
Jan 1, 2009
2,241
3
Back in Time
Maven's colour series is easy to find as it was recently reprinted as PRISM. I would recommend NOT getting 13 steps to begin with. There is just too much information in it and a lot of the routines will scare you. Fundamentals is amazing and you should defiantly look into it. However as a mentalist you really need to look at the way you present your material and fundamentals can really help that.

I think the reason 13 steps scares people is because it wasn't really written has a book. It's just Corinda's notes all complied together and his thoughts on a lot of things. Plus I've heard that a lot of the material is out dated.
 
Oct 24, 2008
244
0
Savannah, GA
I think the reason 13 steps scares people is because it wasn't really written has a book. It's just Corinda's notes all complied together and his thoughts on a lot of things. Plus I've heard that a lot of the material is out dated.

Some of it is dated, yeah. But there's some genuine gems in there, like being able to tell what day of the week any given date (as far back as the 1700's) falls on within seconds, finding square roots and cubing massive numbers, various memory systems and mnemonics, and a lot more.

I find it less a collection of effects and more of a, "Here's what you can do with mentalism!" and some general principles and notions about the field - kind of sort of the mechanical version of Cassidy's Fundamentals. Personally, though, I'm an Anneman fan myself.
 
Nov 16, 2008
2,267
0
36
In the not to distant future
They call it funamentals for a reason. In my opinion, corinda is the professor. He expands on what you should know. Before you can learn from him, you need a good starting point. That's why I recommend fundamentals and practical mental effects first.
 
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