Singing and magic does not offer a great comparison in my opinion. Can anyone become an excellent card worker like Ortiz or Green? No, just like some people can not become great singers because it requires more than just work.
Comparing magic to music is a better comparison. If you can not sing you can still learn to play the guitar or piano and be entertaining at it. You can even sing a few songs that are neutral to your range and does not require too much from you vocally.
The same applies to magic. Hard work and perseverence does pay of if your expectations are realistic and even if you do have the talent to become the next Lennart Green it does not happen in two weeks.

Magic and Music is an interesting analogy in another way. While we can all learn to play the guitar if we apply ourselves, or play the keyboard, or play say a saxophone, We almost always choose one instrument to focus on. Some may choose more, but we tend to focus. One because after a while we notice that we have a knack for one instead of another, we may enjoy the sound of that instrument more, or we enjoy the type of music normally associated with that instrument.

The same with magic. We can all choose to learn Cards, or Coins, or rope, or mentalism, or stage etc... We almost always choose one maybe 2 branches to focus on. Some may choose more, but we tend to focus. For the very same reasons.

We have a knack for one instead of another, we may enjoy a certain type of magic more, or we enjoy the type of effects associated with it more than another. I think we just have to explore the world of magic until we find what calls us, and go with that... patience, practice, and perseverance. But most of all, keep it fun.

Another fact , we do not all have to be an Aaron Neville, or a Kenny G, or a Stravinski, Rubenstein, or Pearlman ( Wonder of Itzack and Oz are related... interesting )to enjoy performing music, if we know our limits and stick to material that while challenging does not cause undue stress and frustration, performing music can be most enjoyable still. It is the same with magic.

We do not have to be Lance Burton, or David Copperfield, we do not have to be Eugene Burger, or David Roth. As long as we are having fun, and learning... Performing magic can still be most enjoyable

Magic is sometimes that takes time,if you practice consistently and have fun, you will get it automatically

Gtwosaints,

At this point having one or two tricks that you can do very entertainingly is far more important than somewhat knowing a dozen different advanced sleights. Do ONE trick well for someone and it will whet their appetite for you to do tricks for them in the future; do a series of six mediocre tricks using sleights that you can't perform well and you'll be regarded at best as a nuisance.

Please reflect on this anecdote from the preface to RRTCM.

David Devant, the great English conjurer, was approached by an acquaintance new to sleight-of-hand with cards. "Mr. Devant," said this young man, "I know three hundred tricks with cards. How many do you know?" Devant glanced at the youth quizzically. "I should say," the magician responded drily, "that I know about eight."

Psychology professor Anders Ericsson studies expert performance, and says that what most people think of as "talent" is vastly overrated. It is "deliberate practice" that is the real key.

Loopback - so true, my wife plays a couple of musical instruments well and often gets told "it must be so nice to have the talent for music" these people don't see the many hours spent practising. It must certainly be so for magicians - hard work makes the professionals look talented... which means so much more hard work for me

cheers

Daryl

Card tricks are one thing...anybody can learn a card trick PDQ. But MANIPULATION is totally different.

TEN YEARS

It took me ten years before I could do productions and split fans. It took me a few years just to get a beautiful thumb fan.

I never got frustrated. I never gave up. All I did was ENJOY the ride.

What's the rush?


Good luck!

How many hours did you have in your coin production Justin? I recall it being a huge amount of time and dedication but the payoff was just as huge by my eyes!

Close to seven thousand (7,000) hours (and that's conservative) for a 3 minute routine. There's two videos on youtube, 1) me performing the coins for the best close-up magicians in the world. (Fechter's) and the other is of my world record, 10 silver dollar production from the DP.

To me, it's not about the destination, it's ALL about the journey. I hope I never make it to the destination (that would mean the journey is over ) It is my hope to die trying.

I'm frustrated even by SHUFFLING ! Asian people tend to shuffle in Hindu Shuffle, so when I found out most magician shuffle in a weird way, took me more than a month to get a decent Overhand Shuffle along with the controlling.

All of that are an old hands, not a teen that can absorb things fast

So, just be patience, and practice again and again

Guess the old guys have more patience than the youngster

Good luck on your journey to Card Magic. And Welcome to the Café ^_^


-Efendi.

I play cards very often and most Asian people that I play with use a riffle shuffle. I am not disagreeing with what you say. Most westerners who don't really play a lot of cards use an overhand shuffle. Mst Asian who don't play a lot use a hindu shuffle. People who tend to play cards, and there are a lot of them in Taiwan use a riffle shuffle, even the kids.

@abc: ooh, that's really something new to me, taiwan kids are awesome ^_^

I think you're right about the 'most who don't play' part.

now that you mentioned it, I think those who regularly play cards is indeed do some riffle shuffle

Justin, your production is AMAZING! Congratulations
Scott

Heck, if you think this is hard try the classic palm.

ARRGH
I'm not giving up though

Holy crap, that's 291 days of practice!

It's interesting. I have been riffle shuffling since I was a kid. the First time I was ever exposed to a Hindu shuffle or even heard of it was in Michael Ammmar's Easy to master card Miracles.

About Long hours of practice. I have lost count how many hours I spent on a retention vanish, or a french drop. Since these are sleights I practice constantly.
I am waiting for the bus, I am doing french drops and retention vanishes. Now while I wait around for buses and trains , and ride them The Erdnase color change has joined the stuff I practice almost non-stop.

When you think all at once 7000 it does sound like a lot of time, I think the secret is, if you look at it, as a chore...it will become one. We need to always see it as fun. As Justin so well said.. it's about the journey. Always try to enjoy it, and the hours of practice will pile up behind you. If you look at it as work, it will become work.