New magician needs help

[joshrfrank]

Hey guys (and gals)!

My name is Josh and I'm 29 and have been interested in magic for a while now but have recently wanted to start learning.

I would like to know where the best place to start would be. I have been playing around with card magic and enjoy it but haven't really performed for anyone yet, due to the fact of being nervous and shy. Any tips?

I also have an invisible deck and would like to know of anyways to do a clean deck switch from a normal deck to an invisible deck!

Thanks

 

[RealityOne]

Josh, welcome to magic and welcome to the forums.

I'm 29 and have been interested in magic for a while now but have recently wanted to start learning. I would like to know where the best place to start would be.

For learning, the best place to start is a book called Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. It has a little bit of everything - cards, coins, bills, rope, cups and balls, sponge balls, mentalism and stage magic. You can learn a lot about how magic works from that book. The best part is that it is only around $15. My second recommendation is a book called Scarne on Card Tricks - it has a lot of amazing card tricks that don't require a lot of difficult sleight of hand.

I have been playing around with card magic and enjoy it but haven't really performed for anyone yet, due to the fact of being nervous and shy. Any tips?

Practice first (getting the moves down), then rehearse (pretending you are performing for an audience) and then perform. If you are nervous and shy, start by talking to people you meet - in line at the grocery store, on the elevator, etc. You could actually use magic as an ice breaker.

I also have an invisible deck and would like to know of anyways to do a clean deck switch from a normal deck to an invisible deck!

Do a card trick. When you are done, put the deck in your pocket. Then say, do you want to see something else. Pull out the invisible deck out of the same pocket.

 

[obrienmagic]

Hope this helps you to confidently perform for people

 

[SilverMagicAddict]

I'm new too... and im creating a youtube channel (SilverMagicAddict) and i still didn't do street reactions... but one thing is for sure that you always have your family and your friends...
My personal example is that when i have a new trick I go as fast as i can to do it for my family and try to get their reactions... With my friends im more nervous so that comes more to the reality of street performing (for me...). What i really want to say is that you must start somewhere, step by step, and you'll be more confident!

 

[Michelle Stern]

Hey there! If you're interested in card magic then I definitely recommend The Royal Road to Card Magic. It was one of the first books that I had read on card magic and it takes you through all the basic sleights as well as teaches effects using the sleights specifically taught. Hope this response helped!

 

[GiantChu]

Hey Josh!
I just got into magic as well, I bought a few books and borrowed some books from the library.
If you are solely interested in card magic, I would definitely recommend Card college series by Roberto Giobbi or the royal road to card magic to get started. It was easier to understand card college since it gave a lot more illustrations to follow. If you want to know more card tricks, I like the encyclopedia of card tricks by Jean Hugard and Scarne on card trick.

Normally, I'll learn something from those card tricks and when I am stuck with learning the trick, I use Expert Card Technique to enhance the technical part. ECT also gives you a good general idea on the misdirection, presentation, patter, etc.

Hope I helped

 

[Macro Man]

I found Chris Ramsay's youtube channel really useful not only the tutorials but also because he explains a lot about the principles of performing, the history and origin of a lot of material. Anyone can throw up a video showing how to do a trick but his channel has helped me get a much greater understanding and respect for the community and the performance as an art.

 

[Josh Burch]

It's great to have all you newbies on here. I hope theveryone forums are proving to be useful.

The most helpful piece of advice I ever recieved was to live with a book. This means to chose a solid book and learn it's contents thoroughly. Perform every piece for an audience and get a feel for it. By the end you will have a bunch of new found skills.

 

[Mark B.(29)]

If you're really wanting top notch deck switches, the standard text now-a-days is Roberto Giobbi's "The Art of Switching Decks". FYI, this text is probably over-kill for a beginner; though, with that said, you'll probably always return to it. So, if you're interested in the book, what I'd recommend is finding a method that is easy for you to accomplish and beat it to death. This will help you get used to switching decks in front of spectators, then you can get more gutsy as time passes.

http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/4882
FYI, the text does come with a DVD, which is quite an invaluable aid.

 

[Dante_Hernandez]

Welcome to the family Josh!

My name is Josh and I'm 29 and have been interested in magic for a while now but have recently wanted to start learning. I would like to know where the best place to start would be.

I recommend "Showmanship For Magicians" and "Magic By Misdirection" by Dariel Fitzkee which is $22 each. Then Royal Road to Card Magic by Jean Hugard and Bobo's Modern Coin Magic. Or Ninja 1 and 2 with "How To Do Street Magic" if you're into DVDs.

I have been playing around with card magic and enjoy it but haven't really performed for anyone yet, due to the fact of being nervous and shy. Any tips?

Start with being able to talk to people without magic. Another way to go about it after practicing go on public transportation, take your cards out and just start doing tricks or cardistry just to get confortable with doing magic in public people will eventually start to watch you.

 

[CWhite]

Im so glad there is more new "older" people here. Im 40.. turning 41 next Tuesday...
Makes it easier to talk with someone who can relate better.