I'd like to learn several rope tricks to add to a busking-routine-in-the-making. Are there any recommendations for books or dvds that teach rope tricks? I'd like to learn the Professor's Nightmare specifically, and a few other strong rope tricks as well. Many thanks.

Johannes Pauw

While I do not incorporate them in the same set, I use "Rope Through Body" and Aldo Columbini's "Professor's Math."

You can contact Aldo for his routine through his site.
-Jim

Flips Rope Magic
Dave Bartletts Rope Magic
Daryl's Rope Magic Vol 1-3
Cellini's Street Magic Vol 2

They are all good. I would play with several routines and put my own together based on those.
Ralph

Jeff McBride's first stage magic dvd has his good rope routine on it.

Jim

I believe you should get a video or DVD because there is just so much good rope magic. Tabery and Pavel have some great routines.

Regan

DVD from Tabery, this is the thing you are looking for

...and of course, Whit Haydn's "Mongolian Pop Knot"
along with bits and pieces of George Sand's "Sandsational Rope" or "RopeSational."

Three Ropes and a Baby not only teaches the Professor's Nightmare, but also continues on from there with several more effects to make a great rope routine.

For the performing purists, you aren't going to like this. For the "workers", you will understand where I am coming from.

Don't overlook the Stiff Rope as being very visual, and with a real routine behind it, (PM me if you want one that makes sense and the crowd relates to) and is a crowd favorite. It is also drop dead easy to do, so you can concentrate on presentation.

Since I came up with a routine for it, I get more requests for this, than anything except my 3 ring routine.

You can use it to draw an edge, since the big white rope is so easily seen, and you hold it high to display it. Or you can use it to regather their atention if there was distraction or things got slow and you are losing them.

Yes, I do professor's nightmare, C & R ropes etc. sometimes too. But they play well in a routine, and are not as useful in drawing an edge.

For me, it isn't about a display of skill. I save that for magicians. But it is about engaging and entertaining my audience. And the Stiff Rope plays big for me on those counts.

BroDavid

The name slips my mind for a great rope trick that involved a specator (a do as I do trick). It is from the Mark Wilson course, where you have the 3 tied up ropes. You and the specator tie the 3 ropes together, but in the end, your ends up becoming one whole rope and their's doesn't.

Sorry about the name.

One of the most important aspects to me would be spectator involement.

Having the spectators participate and do stuff.

While Daryl's seem great, I started looking elsewhere because it's all done in the magician's hands.

Paul Green's routine has good involement.
McBrides, as Jim points out, from Commando act has some involement as well.

Daryl's is quite good, and putting some thought into how to get the ropes into "their" hands could be a good excercise.


Frank

Frank,thank you,"The Secret Art of Magic" and The Twins are both outstanding. But your service went way beyond the call of duty. Thanks again.

Also there is NO doubt at all, that it is the specs impact and participation -also in a rope routine- that counts the most, *we* have also to consider the practical aspects for *us*!

This doesn't mean to do less strong ropemagic, but it ALSO has to be practical.

My vote for the most practical roperoutines well as the one with good spec-responce (though this tread made me think to try to incorporate MORE spec involvement, which though I alreday have..read on)still goes to

George Sands RopeSational!!!

Instant (almost) reset, same rope used over and over again..

Apart from this, George Sands routine is the basic for most other similar roperoutines..he also was the *inventor* of the finger-cut.

Re spec-involvement there might be some flaws, I cover this by useing Johnny Ramsayes finish, where both ends of both ropes are tied together, both knots vanish and it becomes one *normal* -it actually is- long rope.

THEREFATER comes the JR explanation re where the knots went and here the spec is engaged re holding a smal piece of rope with a knot in the center, so do I..everything accordingly to JRs routine.

The climax is -as you (hopefully) know-, that the specs knot doesn't vanish, whilst yours does, and right therafter you *restore that short piece of rope to the original lenght it has been when starting doing the routine..
It's all in the Ramsey book (the 1st) as well as on the Galloway DVD..
I've never seen anybody else combining this part as a finish to another roperoutine...

Yes, there is a bit of a reset when doing it that way, so I sometimes don't use that strong finish, therefor I have to think about the suggestions re spec involvement at an earlier stage, though I think it is tough to incorporate in that routine (RopeSational), unless one does use stuff (which is OK) like the cut/no cut sissors f.ex., before executing the fingercut..just one more prop to carry, but it highens the entertainment, no doubt, and gives spec.involvement..

Just a thought re roperoutines also usefull for the streetworkers ...

Cheers for the advice guys, I have opted not to use a collapsible table because I want to perform the Cups & Balls on the street.

Chris

Thanks! No problem! Glad you like them.
:)


Gee Werner, why'd you have to bring up the Ramsay routine. I'd forgotten all about it. Now I'm going to need to check it out closely and lose more sleep again... and again.. and again.

I don't have a rope routine in production yet but have been thinking about it recently. You're right. There are some good things there.

Frank, I can tell you, I floored fellow magicians when I *vanished* the second of the knots from the rope (exactly as described in the Ramsey routine)and showed the rope restored, handing it over to them, with the 'dirty' hand of course...

One can stop there, but whenever there is a chance, I follow this up with the explantion re *where* the knots went, as described above and finsh with the whole complete length of rope out of that smal piece originally 'just' being a knot!

Specs are involved aso., everything is there that one can ask for..well after all it was developped by John Ramsay!

He didn't do a lot of roperoutines, but what he did was *the best*..
As I did, one can combine almost any roperoutine to finish by knotting both lenghtes of rope together as in his routine, and if one wishes, expand with the finale with the spec and the knots.

OTOH, I must admit, Johnny Ransay keept it short and direct -as one should-, but one really can entertain for quite some time, by starting up with Ropesational and finish with what I mentioned...

IMHO, this is one of the strongest finishes for a roperoutine!
The only drawback is the reset..the execution is dead easy...