"Teach Me A Trick!"
- Thread starter Shanku
- Start date
Again, you can't compare Magic. I'll tell you why,
you are proving to your audience, that 'you' are different. You, are making them have a really good time they will remember for eternity.
If you really give a good performance, they will only appreciate. Some will try to decypher your methods, and come up with irrational and funny explanations.
But those people aren't open minded, they are what are known as the wannabe 'Dominant' people. Who want to make their presence felt among everyone.
Back to the topic.
the reason you can't compare magic is, that its an Art for us magicians, not for laymen. Guitar playing isn't a mirracle, however, leaving them amazed by methods apparantly unreal is another sport.
Hope you got the point.
Set down your presentation, alter it with altering situations, but you should have a fair idea of what to say etc.
Also, when you perform for your friends, you can get into some problems.
For example, you get together with your friends at some place, say a coffee shop. You do a two card monte and then produce switched cards from behind his/her ears, your pockets, or anything at all .
Then other people arrive. What that person is going to say is, hey show them that when you pulled out the cards from the air or from your pockets or anything man.
He has given away the climax. People will focus on what your hands to at all time, specially the person who you've already done it with.
You sometimes have limited effects. Don't do them all at once. Save some for later. And do simple stuff. For people, even if its a DL or a Second deal, it dosen't matter. What matter's is what they perceive and what they see.
you are proving to your audience, that 'you' are different. You, are making them have a really good time they will remember for eternity.
If you really give a good performance, they will only appreciate. Some will try to decypher your methods, and come up with irrational and funny explanations.
But those people aren't open minded, they are what are known as the wannabe 'Dominant' people. Who want to make their presence felt among everyone.
Back to the topic.
the reason you can't compare magic is, that its an Art for us magicians, not for laymen. Guitar playing isn't a mirracle, however, leaving them amazed by methods apparantly unreal is another sport.
Hope you got the point.
Set down your presentation, alter it with altering situations, but you should have a fair idea of what to say etc.
Also, when you perform for your friends, you can get into some problems.
For example, you get together with your friends at some place, say a coffee shop. You do a two card monte and then produce switched cards from behind his/her ears, your pockets, or anything at all .
Then other people arrive. What that person is going to say is, hey show them that when you pulled out the cards from the air or from your pockets or anything man.
He has given away the climax. People will focus on what your hands to at all time, specially the person who you've already done it with.
You sometimes have limited effects. Don't do them all at once. Save some for later. And do simple stuff. For people, even if its a DL or a Second deal, it dosen't matter. What matter's is what they perceive and what they see.
I agree with you. Magic cannot be relly compared to anything else. But, some aspects of magic can be compared. For example, practising.
But I disagree with you on that that when someone asks you to teach them a trick your performance is flawed.
I've had this situation once, and it was a friend who has seen me perform a couple of effects. I agree with you on what you said earlier that if someone wants to know the secret of your "tricks" there are flaws in your performance. But I think that is is a completely different situation if someone wants to learn a single trick and he decides to ask you.
I wouldn't advice on doing simple things. I would advice to do things you do well, whether they are complicated or simple, difficult or easy.
Since I work at a Magic Shop, I get this quite alot. You have to judge whether people just want the secret, or they have, even the smallest fleeting interest. If it's the later, then it's up to you to do something about it. I usually tell them to go home and learn a good trick ( one not involving piles and counting cos that trick smells ) and if they come back and present it to me, I will be more than happy to start off their interest in magic by showing them a beginner trick. Usually it will be the Theory11 1on1 Simple Reverse. I learnt that years ago, and I can still get people with it nowdays. It hits hard if dont properly.
I say:
"Can you keep a secret?"
They'll often reply "Yes".
To which you reply,
"Well, so can I."
"Can you keep a secret?"
They'll often reply "Yes".
To which you reply,
"Well, so can I."
look man, this is your damn art.
you work for it, hours and hours. i don't know which of ya'll don't, but all i know is, if i reveal something to my spec.'s, i wouldn't be doing justice to myself or magic either.
Its supposed to be magic, subterfuge. It should look like magic, its not a trick!
you work for it, hours and hours. i don't know which of ya'll don't, but all i know is, if i reveal something to my spec.'s, i wouldn't be doing justice to myself or magic either.
Its supposed to be magic, subterfuge. It should look like magic, its not a trick!
LOL... normally if a person asks "teach me a trick..."
2 things I would do... first, really teach a trick but very simple trick like key card based tricks...... OR I would do something like ambitious card trick I'll have to agree with Oz Pearlman's born to perform magic, he has some routines that make people misunderstand that you're gonna teach him a trick... or I would do some dye tube routine and say I would teach them how to do it but in the end perform a kicker.
WELL IF... they happen to say, do you know how to do this trick by (someone's name), it's like (trick's description)....... If I know how that trick works, I'll perform it for a little bit, and when they go "HOW DID YOU DO THAT".... I'd say.... "eat 20 eggs a day and you can do this trick... perhaps (that someone's name) eats about 30 eggs a day so he is better..."...... That's really my line if people happen to ask me that lol...
2 things I would do... first, really teach a trick but very simple trick like key card based tricks...... OR I would do something like ambitious card trick I'll have to agree with Oz Pearlman's born to perform magic, he has some routines that make people misunderstand that you're gonna teach him a trick... or I would do some dye tube routine and say I would teach them how to do it but in the end perform a kicker.
WELL IF... they happen to say, do you know how to do this trick by (someone's name), it's like (trick's description)....... If I know how that trick works, I'll perform it for a little bit, and when they go "HOW DID YOU DO THAT".... I'd say.... "eat 20 eggs a day and you can do this trick... perhaps (that someone's name) eats about 30 eggs a day so he is better..."...... That's really my line if people happen to ask me that lol...
I don't know about english-speaking audiences, but Finnish use the word "trick" to describe something what we as magicians might call "effect" or "routine". To us, word "trick" sounds cheap word to describe our carefully constructed routines, but to laymen, it's the only word they have ever used for magic.
I just say, "No I don't have time to teach you anything."
and to answer question 2: "Yeah but I don't like doing that often because it's his trick and not mine."
and to answer question 2: "Yeah but I don't like doing that often because it's his trick and not mine."
I don't know, try pulling off a "David Blaine" and just stare them in the eyes with a blank expression. 
Kidding.. no offense to Mr. Blaine or anything.
I find myself in similar situations where those who want my secrets hang out with me everyday and believe me when I say that they won't stop asking me for the secrets. My reasons for not telling actually vary depending on who's asking me; my friends are actually the ones that are hard to silence. In my case, I can't really use the "respect my art" lines that some are suggesting. Some respect me, some just want the secret.
Sometimes, patter can be used as misdirection. One such patter is Ineski's on Youtube. It's funny how truthful his patter is on one of his videos; he really does tell part of how he does the trick. The spectator's can't seem to follow though. I've done similar patter before, and for a variety of tricks too, and it works as well.
As for the TV thing, try telling them "Yeah, I know how he does that but wouldn't you rather see this?" *do a trick*. Or "No I don't, but can that guy do this?" *do a trick*
But really, I can't give definite lines as to what you're gonna say. It really depends on who the spectators are in my case, which is partly why I likewise can't use some of the lines that some of you suggest. I just feel it and act accordingly. Hope this helps.
Kidding.. no offense to Mr. Blaine or anything.I find myself in similar situations where those who want my secrets hang out with me everyday and believe me when I say that they won't stop asking me for the secrets. My reasons for not telling actually vary depending on who's asking me; my friends are actually the ones that are hard to silence. In my case, I can't really use the "respect my art" lines that some are suggesting. Some respect me, some just want the secret.
Sometimes, patter can be used as misdirection. One such patter is Ineski's on Youtube. It's funny how truthful his patter is on one of his videos; he really does tell part of how he does the trick. The spectator's can't seem to follow though. I've done similar patter before, and for a variety of tricks too, and it works as well.
As for the TV thing, try telling them "Yeah, I know how he does that but wouldn't you rather see this?" *do a trick*. Or "No I don't, but can that guy do this?" *do a trick*
But really, I can't give definite lines as to what you're gonna say. It really depends on who the spectators are in my case, which is partly why I likewise can't use some of the lines that some of you suggest. I just feel it and act accordingly. Hope this helps.
Spend 6 months and learn paul harris simple switch, and teach them how do to a card transpo with the flourish as an explanation. Alot of people really do belive me.