TheMagicCafe...

[Craig Browning]

I usually find a glowing review about any book or dvd, I am considering purchasing, at the cafe. *rolls eyes*

I also found that people there tend to believe it is wrong to learn from a DVD. I guess they aren't aware of vark and the different learning styles.

Nothing wrong with DVDs unless you really want to learn magic and have tangible resources that won't go out of date and not be usable when Microsoft makes their next OS upgrade . . . I've got over $500.00 worth of material I can't access because of Windows 7 (I'd kill to get back on XP, the last system MS came out with that wasn't a POS)

Books are an amazing resource in that you will get far more information out of them for the dollar invested and not just tricks! You will learn how to spell, punctuate, use the proper form of a word (such as their, there or they're) when writing or posting and then we have the history of magic as well as life lessons that many authors share as anecdotes throughout their texts.

By All Means, it's oft times easier to learn material when you can see the action. For years that was about the only way I could learn certain moves but the old timers would make me read and re-read the material a few times so that I EARNED the hands-on help and proved that I wanted to learn how to do Magic rather than Tricks. But as things unfold in life and you start realizing that you're not able to make the real money that's out there and your knowledge is more or less limited to the latest trends, remember your grumbling over the sarcastic old fart that called you on your lethargy today and that said old fart might actually know a little something that will help you go further, faster with your magic and the quality of your knowledge than any DVD is going to give you . . . and that includes some of the better quality pieces I'm aware of that are on the market.

 

[Randy]

I think it's actually better to combine both DVD's AND books. Why not get the best of both world's, video can often times be better because some of the times the guys who edit and write magic books don't know how to properly describe an effect to you in a way that makes it seem less like your trying to do a routine/sleight and more like your studying trigonometry.

Video is also often good when somebody mentions doing a certain sleight or timing that when you read it, your thinking "This will never fly."

 

[Josh Burch]

I personally like books but it's always nice to see a performance as a reference. You get a lot about timing, rhythm and style that is hard to get across in a book. In a book though you get depth, intricate detail, scripting and it is easier in my opinion to explain multiple outs in book form.

 

[Bizzaro]

Personally I prefer the in-person passing of knowledge. As for the cafe I am one of those people who have been banned since very early on. I still hop on to see what's going on but I don't have an account with my name on it anymore. Their practices of censoring people and deleting posts that are trying to ward people off of a bad situation is quite deplorable. After a number of years you can usually find info on something you are looking for by doing a google search with the term "Magic cafe" at the end.

 

[Craig Browning]

Personally I prefer the in-person passing of knowledge. As for the cafe I am one of those people who have been banned since very early on. I still hop on to see what's going on but I don't have an account with my name on it anymore. Their practices of censoring people and deleting posts that are trying to ward people off of a bad situation is quite deplorable. After a number of years you can usually find info on something you are looking for by doing a google search with the term "Magic cafe" at the end.

I didn't realize you were one of the elite in magic Biz. . . but then they don't like freaks like us, who think outside the proverbial box, do they?

 

[Bizzaro]

No one likes it when you rock the boat apparently.

 

[spoook]

I am just saying that many people feel it's wrong to learn from DVD's. There is nothing wrong with using a DVD if it helps you learn. There is nothing wrong with learning from books. There is nothing wrong with taking lessons.

 

[TylerRouss]

After a number of years you can usually find info on something you are looking for by doing a google search with the term "Magic cafe" at the end.

I have never made an account there, but I frequently get google results from there when I search for products. Sometimes I stumble across useful information.. but I rarely ever try.

 

[Craig Browning]

I am just saying that many people feel it's wrong to learn from DVD's. There is nothing wrong with using a DVD if it helps you learn. There is nothing wrong with learning from books. There is nothing wrong with taking lessons.

Correct to all three and to be more concise, the best course for education is to use "all the above". Too many people are simply too lazy in today's culture to be bothered by books; they use an amazing list of excuses to avoid the labor of actual thought and concept processing and must therefore be lead by the hand be it in video form or that of a live teacher.

I personally learn best through a visual or preferably "hands-on" path because I do have problems comprehending things that are written UNLESS I go through it a few times... and yes, it is dyslexia but in my day such problems weren't officially recognized and so those of us that were afflicted, had to develop our own way to deal with the challenge. Amazingly a high percentage of these people have gone on to achieve uncanny success in life, but only because they put deliberate effort into beating the condition rather than letting it win. The advent of video is relatively new; didn't really catch on until the mid and latter 80s and didn't become a major crutch until the late 90s. Some are awesome resources but most are very overpriced "marketing vehicles" that give the consumer little to nothing by comparison; For $50.00 I can buy a book that will give me three or four times the amount of information and technique that the typical DVD now delivers . . . in fact, most such pieces rarely give you more than 6 effects at somewhat steep prices. That is not encouraging when it comes to furthering this craft and keeping it accessible.

When you can learn from a book first and then gain videos that will help you improve on your technique, such as greater study in how to do a Pass or the old "Teach-In" videos Lee Earle did on Mentalism techniques. . . this is a logical and productive way of doing things that prepare you for when you finally find that "teacher" or "mentor".

HINT: Most old dogs that willing take on a student, do so because that prospect has proven that they are willing to work towards goals and actually know what they are talking about. I have about 3 key people from here and E that I will gladly help because they have show discipline and self-application. Absolutely none of my 5 primary teachers would have had anything to do with me had I not been the same way.

I'm probably saying things wrong and a bit mixed up, but the point is that it is best to use at least two of the three if not all three methods if you wish to obtain the best results.