I Need Help (Foundations)

[theory11rocks]

okay hello guys im in a BIG PROBLEM. when i started magic i lived in a very small country in africa(gambia) so how i learnt magic the internet. i would stay up all night to learn magic. i would spend hours out of my holiday and day staring at my computer, dont get me wrong i learnt alot. but now i moving to the uk where there are magicians, i was think about joining a clubs then it hit me...... i dont have a foundations because i learnt of the net i neva had a foundation. one day i would learn the elavatour card next min i would the the ambitious card so.. i was lost. i neva got taught how to hold a deck or spread card, like all the basics eg what hand to hold the deck in the begining i held the deck in my right hand because thats what i saw(u know mirrod image). and when i learnt a trick i neva learnt the magic. u know what i mean the patter that goes with it, the timing, suspence i neva knew that. so know my magic is suffering. so what i have decieded to do is forget everything i know and start for the very begining but....... WHERE THE HELL DO I START thats where u come. i will give u detail about me and please tell me books, or tips anything to help my magic so here we go.

im 13
im a card guy
i have done magic for 3 yeard. but dont think of it like getting beta think of it is lokking up randon trick i have been doing that for 3 years(i know i am very sad lol)
i trying to start cardistry but its sooo hard
thats all i can think of now message me if u can help or if u need more info

 

[Dizzi]

get card college volume one. teaches you some nice effects, patter, timing, and how to properly hold a deck.

 

[Nickerus]

get card college volume one. teaches you some nice effects, patter, timing, and how to properly hold a deck.

I second that.

 

[theory11rocks]

i have heard of this but i have also heard of The Expert at the Card Table and Royal Road to Card Magic should i get all or will i be doing to much what is best . thanks

 

[Nickerus]

I only have Card College, it's fantastic.

 

[chriswiehl]

how about getting a dvd. cause i think reading that much might make it harder for you because you clearly dont write that well and you may or may not be able to read as well. just guessing. i may be wrong
but i like Born to Perform Card magic from Penguin magic. its a good starting place.

 

[chriswiehl]

oh. and dont do card stuff. get coin stuff or rope stuff. cards are soo cliche. so yea i wish i started with coins

 

[True2Coins]

Yea, get Modern Coin Magic, and expert card technique for now. In my opinion, they are 2 of the best books on introductions to each genre of magic. Cards and coins. Royal road really wasnt that great in my opinion and I didnt like the layout or the way it was written. If you are going to resort to DVD, I suggest Joshua Jay's book, MAGIC: The complete course. I have a review written here a few pages back that you should check out. Expert at the card technique was very iffy. DOn't get me wrong, it's a phenomenal book, but not really good for you yet. Start to learn and read books first, and then worry about branching off into more advanced texts. The way it is written is very strange as well.

 

[Justin.Morris]

I was in the same boat, and although I don't have Card College, Born To Perform was very helpful.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I happen to really like the Royal Road to Card Magic. Plus, it has the bonus of having Paul Wilson's DVD set of the same name, which will give you visual help learning from the book. By the end of the book/DVD series, you should have a pretty solid grasp on how to learn from books in the future, which is where the real gold of magic knowledge hides.

Other than that, I'll just repeat what others have said. Get Bobo's for coin magic, and get either Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic, or Joshua Jay's Magic.

Card College is an excellent series, as well, but it's a bit expensive if you want the whole set. There is also the Tarbell Course in Magic, which is supposed to be great and teaches a wide range of magic.

I'd recommend getting the Royal Road, Bobo's and Mark Wilson/Joshua Jay. Give each of them the time they deserve to really work through them, then decide from there what you want to pursue. If you want to continue with cards, then I'd probably recommend Card College and then after that, Expert at the Card Table. If you want to continue with general magic stuff, get Tarbell. I don't know coins well, so I can't give you any recommendations for that.

 

[KieranMackrell]

I have Royal Road To Card magic and Card college One, and in my opinion each offers something different. Royal Road is inexpensive but provides a smaller spectrum of moves, Card College is more expensive but will supply with ALL the fundamentals required for card magic. I also agree with chriswiehl, get some other stuff such as sponge balls which are extremely cheap or modern coin magic by Bobo. Hope that helps.

 

[RyanH]

Yes, Card College is excellent. But don't bother changing the way you hold the deck (in your right hand) it is a very difficult thing to switch the hand that you hold the deck with. I am right handed, but when I started magic I held the deck In my right hand.l I have been doing magic for 3-4 years now and i just translate instructions in books. For example if it tells me to move my left pointer finger, I move my right pointer finger. Hope that helps.

 

[Wonder]

Foundations

I highly recommend Roberto Giobbi's Card College Volumes 1-5, buy the first volume & as you study volume one save up for volume two. Until you own all five volumes, the Card College is a course in Card Magic. The course has been so thoroughly illustrated for clarity & ease of learning, i own all five volumes & i wish these volumes where about when i first started in magic.

 

[industrialchild]

I understand how you feel, but don't panic and don't be hard on yourself. You can easily catch up with the right material in hand. Card College has been mentioned a bunch of times and I too second that. I also read that you have heard of Expert at the Card Table and The Royal Road to Card Magic; both of which are worth their weight in gold. However consider the following: you have already expressed the fact that you want to get back to the basics, even something as simple as holding the deck and finger positioning play a major role to the overall look and feel to your magic; and I think it's excellent that you recognize this, it is all too true. Expert at the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase is a great book but it's primary focus is advanced sleight of hand with very little mention of the "basics". In other words this book is hardcore and the author wrote it assuming that the reader already knew basic stuff before reading. Not to mention that the language in this text is for the most part old english and can get confusing at times and if this would be your first book you might feel intimated or maybe just bored. The Royal Road to Card Magic and Card College Vol. 1-5 I hold in the highest regard. Both will teach you the basics and proper technique, however Card College is pretty up to date with modern sleights and innovations in the world of card magic.

Royal Road is anywhere between 10-30 american dollars
The Five Volume set of Card College will set you back between 90-120 american dollars

The choice is yours my man,
Good luck

 

[velcrowe]

how about getting a dvd. cause i think reading that much might make it harder for you because you clearly dont write that well and you may or may not be able to read as well. just guessing. i may be wrong
but i like Born to Perform Card magic from Penguin magic. its a good starting place.

You don't write well, either. Can you get through any magic books?

 

[industrialchild]

Sorry to double post on here but I just wanted to say one more thing. You mentioned joining a magic club when you get to the UK. Have you ever heard of the International Brotherhood of Magicians? This organization has chapters all over the world. I am a member myself and have many friends that are members also and one thing I can tell you is that there really is no pressure to be even a decent performer before you go to a meeting. Just go and be amazed, you will make alot of magic friends, get advice and constructive criticism. They will in no way tear you down for your lack of knowledge of the "basics", they will only help you. Even if you don't join the I.B.M. per sea, there will be tons of clubs that will accept you even with no knowledge of magic in general. You and the club members each share a common bond: The love of magic.

In the instance that you come across a club that does make you feel bad and tear you down. It's simple, don't join. For every one that does, there are 5 more that won't.

Sincerely,
David