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kShepher Elite user Washington, DC 470 Posts |
So...I just just dropped jaws with The Lucky Coin, and feeling good I go into another trick (The Invisible Card) with the riffle force. I usually peek the top card and cut to center.. This time I peeked the bottom card, and held it above the break. Forced the wrong card. Fortunately, I pulled out Harry's Spectator Cuts to Aces and partially redeemed myself, but still..
The point of this post is...I'm glad it happened. Failing under fire. Good experience. I will NEVER make that mistake again. That mistake is cemented in my mind. I can't be the first one..ha ha. I also leaned how to recover. The pros here must be shaking their heads in laughter, but for any newbies....the only true way to learn is actually doing a trick for actual people. |
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1KJ Inner circle Warning: We will run out of new tricks in 4385 Posts |
You are so right. The only way to really learn is to perform. I rotate my magic routines around quite a bit for my own sake (otherwise, I would just get too bored with the same set of tricks), and even if a new trick or routine works just fine, I always learn a ton from those early performances. There is a big difference between practicing a trick in a mirror or while being recorded, vs performing a trick for an audience. In fact, you will learn something different from different audiences. I performed a children's holiday party and a senior center holiday party. I did many of the same tricks, but the two audiences were so different that the two performances were completely different.
kj |
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warren Inner circle uk 4138 Posts |
Whilst it's very true that the only way to really learn is to perform for real people, one should always put in the proper practise time first as many are in to much of a rush to show what they have learned and therefore expose or mess up more often than is necessary.
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3501 Posts |
It's actually a very good feeling to know you can make a mistake and still come out on top. It takes a lot of pressure off. It comes with having a range of options and being comfortable with your persona. Not really something you can practice at home.
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kShepher Elite user Washington, DC 470 Posts |
Yeah. It does take practice at home to ensure you have options. I almost entered that "stammering" state of mind, but then it quickly dawned on me that I had tons of options. I just gave her credit for "being super smart and beating me", and moved on. I'm sure there are much better ways, by much better card people, to handle that. But it worked for me.
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3501 Posts |
The only problem with saying "you beat me" is that it plays into the idea that magic is a win/lose proposition where your goal is to win at the expense of the spectator.
I do agree that you should complement the spectator rather than appearing upset. |
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kShepher Elite user Washington, DC 470 Posts |
Thx...good advice.
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Geeraff12 New user Tasmania, Australia 74 Posts |
KShepher, great thread.
I too learnt from a rookie mistake on NYE. Started my set with Vernon's Aces. While doing my intro opened a new set of cards and I gave the pack to participant to shuffle. I need to mention at this point we were all on a balcony made of decking board and duly while shuffling the participant dropped the cards. We gathered all the cards that we could see; "no problem at all" with a reassuring smile as participant was clearly a bit embarrassed. "Let me show you this!" Started to gather the Aces for Vernon's Aces's only to find the ace of spades missing. We all realised it must have gone through a gap in the decking boards and was unretrievable. "No problem at all." I said, "We'll use the four queens, here they are watch carefully." feeling very smug that I'd carried on regardless "Ha ha what a pro I am!" I thought to myself. (clearly I am not, reader) I get into the Vernon Aces routine and muscle memory takes over and I get to the first cut and am scrambling to find the Aces, they aren't anywhere they should be. "Stay Calm, stay calm, they don't know whats supposed to be happening, they must be here somewhere." Then I remember "the queens! We are doing it with the queens!" There they were exactly where they were supposed to be. I finished the routine and got just about acceptable response but I'm sure it looked well scrappy in the initial phase. Note to self by all means practice the four ace tricks etc but in my practice from now on I will substitute in different values. Make the brain a little more plastic, a little more supple. |
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kShepher Elite user Washington, DC 470 Posts |
THAT is quite a story. It had to be the ace that fell...ha ha. Good recovery.
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1KJ Inner circle Warning: We will run out of new tricks in 4385 Posts |
Geeraff12,
That is a good story. I have done similar. In using different cards, I found that my routines changed. For example, I no longer do "Twisting the Aces". I now do "Twisting the Faces" with a different presentation and any court card set of their choosing. The reason they choose is there are some gags built into the routine that revolve around the choice they made. KJ |
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 28, 2017, warren wrote: Talk about rookie mistakes, this is probably the biggest and most common one: performing a new trick for an audience before you are really ready.
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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sevenup Regular user South Carolina 179 Posts |
Better for an ace to drop between the cracks than a spectators diamond engagement ring. Really happened too. Moral of story, don't perform over cracks, near drain sewers, or anything that can gobble up your props like a stray goat.
Pick a card, any card at all. Just don't pick a RED spade.
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jakeg Inner circle 1741 Posts |
I was performing in a church. Family audience of 20 - 25 people. New card routine that was well rehearsed but never performed by me before. Somehow, I slipped up, and when I realized it, I let out the f bomb. It just slipped. I said I was sorry, but the audience was very quiet after that. I guess that they didn’t want to miss anything else I had to say.
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lynnef Inner circle 1407 Posts |
Learning how to recover I think will follow us all for a long time. It also happens in music, when even the pros hit a wrong note. The expression often used is "play through", rather than apologise (or curse). Even if you pop a non-pop balloon (sometimes NOT your fault), you just pull out another one with a silly story. Lynn
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Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
Talking too much is a rookie mistake (that often follows us a long time).
If we script what needs to be said to 1.explain the premise 2.tell the spectator what is expected of them and couch those lines in ways that our character should (in order to strengthen our character) and place those lines in an order that matches our actions and the order the information is needed, it really helps. When we repeat our instructions and such it clutters the air and makes the important lines less memorable. That can result in a lack of clarity and impact in the end. -Mary Mowder |
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DaveGripenwaldt Elite user 487 Posts |
Quote:
On Jan 6, 2018, Geeraff12 wrote: Especially in card magic, that is a key thought in all this - if they haven't seen the effect before you have wiggle room to pull out an ending. I go on about the little booklet, "Outs Precautions And Challenges" (probably too much), but it is gold for dealing with these kinds of moments. With a little forethought and a few moves and tools most of us are familiar with, we don't have to crash and burn...we can turn the plane and come in for a landing. It may not be where we planned to be, but the spectator's don't have to know. |
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ThomasJ Special user Chicago 999 Posts |
Dave, I've seen at least 3 posts of yours suggesting this booklet, and I couldn't agree more. I picked it up for about $3 at Haines' House of Cards several years ago and it sure is a gem.
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kShepher Elite user Washington, DC 470 Posts |
Thanks, Dave. I just ordered it. $9.99.
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
Rookie mistake: GOING TOO FAST.
It seems to me that rookies tend to do magic like it's a race. Maybe it's just nervous energy, I dunno, but it seems super common. It's hard for beginners to learn to SLOW DOWN, and insert pause beats where the magic moments are. Rather than getting into a nice rhythm, they seem to breathlessly rush pell mell to the end of the trick, the spectators holding on and trying to follow. Or at least it seems like a common rookie mistake to me. I certainly did that, so maybe that's why I tend to see it a lot. Am I the only one?
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
Nope, you're not the only one.
When I started I wished the spectators would just be quiet and let me finish my trick. I did not realize that the spectators were so important to making the trick entertaining. Now I welcome good natured input (to a certain degree, LOL). Another rookie mistake is shifting your feet or rocking throughout the performance. Another one is not planning how to start a trick, I.E. where you will get the props and what you will say to introduce the trick. It comes of a lesser form of practice at home that does not anticipate a beginning with people watching. I'm guilty of this type of practice myself but before it goes out to the public I do address it. -Mary Mowder |
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