This is a touchy topic, so I'm first going to point out that I'm not aiming this at anyone, I'm just stating my opinion and asking for critiques. I am a young magician, 15 to be exact, and have been doing magic for 3 years. I know everyone is always saying that it's better to do a few tricks well rather than a lot of tricks badly, but, and this is just my opinion and I may be totally off, I think you should always try to expand your magic repertoire. obviously, I think you should constantly practice and get good at every trick you know, and i, personally, am always buying more magic off of ebay and magic websites (and I always perfect them when I get them), but am I totally wrong? just wondering, and comments and/or critiques would be appreciated. thanx!!

Better to be a master of one trick than to perform a hundred poorly. Eventually you could master quite a few. I messed up and approached magic with a shotgun approach. I bought tons of stuff I never use anymore and learned a lot that I find doesn't fit my style. I think this is the normal process to find who you are as a magician and what your standards are. You have to sift through a lot of junk to find real keepers. What I should have done was to master each effect or book I bought, or realized it wasn't for me before buying the next. That's what I wish I would have done.
Gary Poe

Quality NOT Quantity. It's not as simple as learning a trick it's making that trick your own not a copy... and being you not someone else... picking-up/learning a trick is merely a start (if that)... when it becomes your own the magic of entertainment begins...

Anybody can read the lines on a page however, an actor can bring those words to life, a great actor makes those lines their own...

Take any simple childs bedtime story. Imagine you reading it, now imagine an actor reading it now imagine John Carey or Johnny Depp reading it - same story - but I think each time something very different...

ergo - you merely perform magic, you are a good magician, you are a great magician - they are each worlds apart - think about this and you might start to understand what is really being said...

You are not "totally wrong".
It sounds like you're exploring magic.

If you are doing tricks for family and friends then they will always want to see something new. Right?

But if your going to create an act, then learning a few tricks 'really well' is the way to go.

As far as buying a lot of stuff. Better to invest in learning sleight of hand.

Snap,
You're not wrong, at all.
At your age, and being in magic for three years, you want to find out everything you can about -- well, everything. And that's good.
Most of us were exactly the same: We had to have every new trick, or every new sleight or move, the minute we could!
As time goes by, you will probably focus on a couple of areas that strike your fancy and will decide thata certain number of tricks will suffice.
But no singer, or musician, only does one number -- or even just a half a dozen numbers.
Some they may do better than others -- but the bottom line is that they know hundreds.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with a magician knowing hundreds of tricks.
He may only perform a half a dozen and do them brilliantly; but he still knows hundreds, and can perform them in at least a workmanlike manner.
That nonsense about "only knowing half a dozen tricks" is exactly that: Nonsense.

Snap,

I also buy a lot of stuff on Ebay and elsewhere. But that´s exploring magic! There are so many thinks to see and find out. The other thing is when it comes to performances. Better you have your tricks perfected then....

Magixx

Thanx for all the great responses, guys, but, as always, I forgot to clarify something in the post. when I say I'm always buying magic, I'm not going to ebay and buying all the one cent magic tricks that usually turn out to be junk. I normally remember an effect that I really liked to see and then buy it. I don't go on a shopping spree at penguin magic. and when they do come, I either practice it until its perfect or trash it because I totally hate it. just thought I'd better mention that. thanx again, you guys are giving great advice!!

Hello:

One way to look at magic is to look at it as you would ANY performing craft. Magic like music has basic techniques that if learned, practiced, perfected and then honed on a constant basis in the same way that a musician will practice basic scales, etc. will generally be that best use of a magicians time. The number one reason to me is that you CAN add new material to you repatoire much faster. Most sleight-of-hand magic is based upon a fairly small number of moves and techniques. Learn and perfect these and you can then add routines in much the same way that a solidly grounded musician can add a new piece of music.

The problem is generally not adding new material, but that now days it is so easy to learn material in abstraction from the classic techniques that still form the basis for most magic, especially close-up. Even if the new routine has a 'new' sleight it is almost always a variant of some classic move or technique. There are only a few ways to palm a card the variations are almost always involved in how the card GETS into the palm. I have read numerous routines in books in which the author calls for a sleight that I simply don't know. But, my knowledge is wide enough that looking at WHERE that particular sleight is supposed to lead me lets me insert a technique that I do know and thus accomplish that same end.

My discussion may not seem to address the original post, but I think that it does, as that it addresses the problem of how you can add new material and be a master of it in a short time. It need not take forever to BE a master of a new effect.

I am not saying by the way that you will not need to practice. You will, but the learning curve to the practice cycle can be made much, much shorter. Take care,

Its nothing wrong with exploring magic and wanting to learn every trick that looks good to you (hell, I do that too )

but if you are planning on performing, then it would be best to jus use the ones that you have perfected. it wont be nice for your reputation to be performing many tricks with a few of them being sluggish. some specs will develope a low opinion of you if you failed a few tricks or allowed them to catch a glimspe of the move.

hence, to conclude, learn all you can....perform only those you are comfortable with. its also with exploring that we are able to get more stuff into our arsenal and to also widen our knowledge and get inspiration

magic is a vast art..there are tons to learn so don stop at only a few tricks.. learn as much as you can

cheerios

Snap,

I have been into magic for around 2 years and I understand where you are coming from. I am constantly looking for new effects on ebay, Penguin Magic, etc.
Some of them I buy, and a lot of times I am disappointed with what I get.

I agree when performing use your strongest tricks that work everytime, and the audience you play enjoys. Now and then experiment with new tricks and when you find a good one add it to your show.

I have found a new trick on the web that was not too expensive and everyone really enjoys it.

1. Ghost Glass - Spirit Glass by Viking it sells for $15.00
It is a clear round glass disk. You force a card on your participant and they blow their hot breath on it and the image of their card appears for a second or two. It can be repeated with another card and it comes in a carrying case.
A real quality item from Viking. BTW I don't work for Viking... I just love this trick. Good Luck!

Mr Mike

I agree with others here, explore and play with magic, and you will find and develop your own act/style and type of magic that works for you.
Like many I went a little crazy and brought lots of gear that I don't use and some that I still do.
This is all part of the fun of learning, and you will come across some cracking effects that blow people away!
Keep on practicing and always have FUN!!! if you do then so does everyone else

I agree with everyone else too. Be glad you have a place like the Café to come for advice.

Yeah , all the above is right, but the principle is learn few effects and master them well, then expand in a small pace.

Snap
To be honest I think everyone at first buy a lot of tricks . You will soon learn like you said some are no good . I think that the dvd and tapes are a great too.
Books are one of the greatest things you can buy for your money. So many tricks for so little. Enjoy yourself learning eveything you can about magic ,soon you find what is for you,then you won't want as much.
Alson

I Think you can have both, but doing so wisley is the key, Make a tast tester of all other things at your leasure but make sure you do keep that base of well known and practised tricks. Old faithfuls that you can drew upon on the right situation.

In Fact your thinking is what I recommand begginers in magic to do so they can see what things they like as to lead into there choice. Having said that don't let all tricks you lean fall into that "Well Known" Category as it soon Defeats the purpose. How do we know when a trick should be added to your "Well Known" effects? See my How-To Guide on Buying magic at the start of this area for ideas.

Magically

Aus

Yes, exploring is good. You should learn as many tricks and methods as takes your imagination. You don't need to buy too much either. Learn and figure out stuff from the net, and places like Magic Café. Read books and make your own props. Devise your own ideas. But, when it comes to performing, perfect a few and only do those. You'll be respected a lot more than putting out some half baked stuff.

Read everything you can. Watch everything you can.
Find your "something" and be the best at it.

I tel you this for no other reason than to save you a ton of money (which I myself did not). Buy only books/video that have more than one trick in/on them learn a few of the tricks whose effect you liked. Practice them well and preform them the best that you can. The ones that play well, keep them up your sleeve (so to speak). Then move on. The line "learn a few tricks really well,and preform them flawlessly" does apply but it should be temporary. You can only master so much at one time.
How does one eat an elephant?....one bite at a time.

Hey Mr. Marucci? do you still hang out over at MagicTalk?

Snap,

magic is like women! Some guys get through a lot of women without learning very much, some guys find the perfect woman straight away. Most of us are somewhere in between. We need to experiment a little to find what works for us and then we find what is ideal for us and then we practice and we get better and we learn more. Hopefully we end up with a greater understanding of what works for us and for others.

Many of us start by thinking we know better than those older guys, and so we get as many different experiences as we can but this really isn't the best way to learn. Or at least, it might be the best way to learn what we don't like rather than what we do like. It's more about intimacy. Find something you really like and become intimate with it.

Unlike women, once you've become totally intimate with one, it's then easy to move onto the next trick that you can become intimate with! (Also, unlike women, some tricks you can know intimately after twenty minutes!)

BTW use libraries aswell, there's no cheaper way into magic than getting books from your local library.