What tricks?

6th

So what tricks can you do and what would you like to be able to do?

For me it would be coin & cards as they are the type of thing you can carry around with you, at the moment its portable tricks for me.

faceman

You cant beat a decent card trick, although the aul "pick a car, any card" routine can be a little jaded if it doesnt have some edge to it. I was never any good at rolling coins though!

I can do a "mind reading" card trick where i can pick out 2 cards that someone picks. Its a numbers game though

(PS, well done on getting forum approved)

6th

yeah how a trick is presented is as important as the trick itself, a bit of charisma goes along way.

I'm looking around for some hand/figer exercises to help with dexterity at the moment. Hopefully that will help with card and coin working.

Sherifu

I like card tricks too. I'd like to be able to do some of the fancier ones like the card you pick gets put back in the deck and it's backing changes colour etc. As it is I think I only know 3 or 4 simpler ones.

biko

\0/
Hope they make you mod 6th

I mostly do bar tricks. I like to use everyday objects around since I like spontaneous tricks without any preparation.

6th

biko wrote: »

I like to use everyday objects around since I like spontaneous tricks without any preparation.

Yeah I'm the same but I get away with alot coz its usually only to amaze my 3 year old daughter

biko

6th wrote: »

Yeah I'm the same but I get away with alot coz its usually only to amaze my 3 year old daughter

Ha, I need to impress a 7 year old Nothing like seeing the amazement in their eyes when you pull a cool trick off.

the_syco

Get a fake thumb, and practise stuffing a red hankerchief into it. Then, when you stuff the hankerchief into it, and put it on top of your thumb, blow into your closed hand, and open it... kids will expect a hankerchief, but it's in your fake thumb. Wallah. No hankerchief, and the kuds will wonder where it's gone.

6th

I was checking out bits and pieces on eBay and there were a load of fake thumbs ... they were all white though.

ekevosu

6th wrote: »

I was checking out bits and pieces on eBay and there were a load of fake thumbs ... they were all white though.

you could always do a robert downey junior with it....

Popinjay

I'm getting into more of the psych stuff etc. now a la Derren Brown. As I said in the proposal forum though I'm working with a magician so it's more his stage show and the like we're working on at the minute.

Four nail-guns... One is loaded... Audience participation... Should be a barrel of laughs.

The only problem is when I suggest a new effect to him, I have to be able to prove it works first. The first time I pointed a nail-gun at my head and pulled the trigger was a pant-wetting experience I can tell you.

It worked though and now I hardly ever get injured.

the_syco

6th wrote: »

they were all white though.

The white thumb would be easist to paint.

6th

Sorry when I say white I mean they are coloured for caucasians, might look weird on a black magician.

Popinjay

6th wrote: »

Sorry when I say white I mean they are coloured for caucasians, might look weird on a black magician.

Generally you can get them for black magicinas too but they are pretty hard to come by. Same with most of the flesh coloured gimmicks. I don't know if it's based on demand or just assumptions on the part of the sellers.

Voodu Child

6th wrote: »

I'm looking around for some hand/figer exercises to help with dexterity at the moment. Hopefully that will help with card and coin working.

For coins try and learn the simple 'coin roll' (rolling a coin along the top of your fingers). If you're feeling very adventurous, try the 4-coin split/rollout....not easy with the euro coins though, the old pounds were great for that.

For cards, one handed cuts/shuffles will do wonders for your dexterity.

Popinjay

Also for general finger dexterity, just roll your pen around your fingers a lot when you're not actually writing with it a la that Boris dude from Goldeneye.

Waggling them a lot helps too as do certain 'marital activities' but we'd best drop that for now.

humanji

I'm only good at math based card tricks (the ones where you just have to remember sequences to get to the cards) as I just don't have the dexterity or the hand eye coordination to do anything fancier.

I can also do a nifty trick where you make a ring go through a piece of sting (it looks better than it sounds). I'd love to be able to do something flashier, but at the moment I'm just training up to being able to impress my nephew when he's old enough, so I've time to spare

cujimmy

6th wrote: »

Sorry when I say white I mean they are coloured for caucasians, might look weird on a black magician.

If you know how to use a thumb tip properly it doesnt matter what colour it is as the audience will never see it. If you really want a dark skin toned thumb tip try the Vernet range.

Popinjay

cujimmy wrote: »

If you know how to use a thumb tip properly it doesnt matter what colour it is as the audience will never see it. If you really want a dark skin toned thumb tip try the Vernet range.

Not strictly true. Depends on the trick and the presentation of said trick. In many tricks the colour of the thumb tip is important. Exact accuracy isn't but close enough that at a fleeting glance (esp. while the hand is moving) the thumb appears ok will serve.

For examples see many of James Randi's trick with thumb tip including the autograph swith. Basically a billet switch with a thumb tip for a previously prepared piece of paper if I recall correctly. Haven't watched it in a few months.

cujimmy

Popinjay wrote: »

Not strictly true. Depends on the trick and the presentation of said trick. In many tricks the colour of the thumb tip is important. Exact accuracy isn't but close enough that at a fleeting glance (esp. while the hand is moving) the thumb appears ok will serve.

For examples see many of James Randi's trick with thumb tip including the autograph swith. Basically a billet switch with a thumb tip for a previously prepared piece of paper if I recall correctly. Haven't watched it in a few months.

Sorry but it is strictly true, if you are true to your craft. Most magic clubs (mine included) recommend painting your thumb tip red to practice with. Believe me when you cant see a red thumb you know you've cracked it

Popinjay

I dunno if we'll be dragging this too far off topic but why use a thumb tip in that case. If the colouring of it doesn't matter then there are other ways to palm or pocket anything you can use a thumb tip to hide. Is it not then just a gimmick for the sake of using a gimmick?

I'll probably be away for about a week now, taking advantage of the days my office is closed to get maximum time off with minimum leave but I'll try to get a chance to hit a Net Café or something to continue this discussion. I'm intruiged.

cujimmy

I actually agree with you on that point. but certain tricks do require a TT eg tricks with water or salt. My original point is that , if the audience are seeing the TT, then your technicque is poor. the best instructional piece on the TT I have ever seen was by Salvano. At one stage he uses a green TT that really stood out, yet in his hands, it was never seen

Popinjay

I've seen that perfomrance alright - dayglow green TT if I recall correctly.

That certainly was very impressive but smacks to my mind of showboating - this is definitely just a matter of opinion*. I've always tried not to use the usual articles for different tricks and have done some very succesful liquid related tricks without a tip where one would normally be used.

*See for example the use of the Charlier Pass - some say you can't really consider yourself a Card Magician until you've mastered it and shouldn't perform at all until it's perfected. I'd disagree and never bothered to learn it myself.

Shall we let bygones be bygones as there really is no one correct way to perform any effect?

6th

Limiting ourselves to sying there is one way to do things is an awful way to be, we have a natural drive to improve and it shouldnt be stunted imo.

Popinjay

6th wrote: »

Limiting ourselves to sying there is one way to do things is an awful way to be, we have a natural drive to improve and it shouldnt be stunted imo.

Durn tootin'. That's the whole purpose of this discussion forum, to discuss the different ways of doing things. It's the only way we learn.:D

bigslick

I'm majorly into the card tricks. Been grabbing every book and dvd and learning ones. I specifically learned a few david blaine tricks after ppl at parties kept asking me to, "do a david blaine trick". Needy so and so's

Gordon

Learned a few bar tricks and three particular rubber band tricks are my staple 'magic' tricks. A magician tought them to me and they are very simple but very effective if done right.

Here's one of the rubber band tricks I do. (not me in the vid btw)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWSOcoiAb7I

tallus

Not something I'm able to do but lordy I'd love to know how they do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyFBp_Y0_aE

If this doesn't appear properly embedded I apologise, I forgot how to embed youtube

Voodu Child

tallus wrote: »

Not something I'm able to do but lordy I'd love to know how they do it!

That particular variation is actually an old effect...im not sure how old, but I know of a magician doing an identical act in the '30s.

You don't want to know how it's done tbh. Knowing how it's done (in magic) is usually much less enjoyable than watching an act in bewilderment.

tallus

Ahh it's pretty cool to look at tho isn't it.

King of Kards

For coin tricks i would suggest that you get old Irish pennies c.1940's (you know the ones with the chicken on them) They are easy to palm and easy to do coin slights such as The Coin Roll and The Shuttle Pass etc.