Hi all ! I'm a beginner in magic, and I didn't know if I should try taking lessons. Then, I decided that it could be a good idea, so today was my first lesson.

It was so pretty entertaining, amusing, and I learned a LOT of stuff : not just tricks, but how to make people not look at things that you don't want them to see, the presentation.. I recommend to everybody who is new to magic to take lessons, it's really cool ! And I'm pretty sure that it will teach me a lot of things that I could not learn with books !


Mark

Mark,

Welcome to the wonderful world of magic. I'm glad your lessons are working out. You will learn a lot very quickly going this route, but don't minimize what you might learn from books.

Many magicians (myself included) learned almost everything about the art from books, because (in my case) no magicians lived near me, there were no videos or DVDs, and there were no computers (read Internet). Books were our only method of learning and I must say, over the past few years we've seen quite a few great magicians.

Learn as much as you can, and ask us questions and when you're ready we'll let you know which books and videos will help you out.

Good luck,

Steven

Thank you for the encouragement !

I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of good magicians who read books, and who are probably a lot better than I'll ever be. But I think that with a teacher, it's really "easier" to understand all the complexity of the art and all the subtleties !

Icepik:
Let me suggest a different way of looking at this...the person you're working with can be more than a teacher...he or she can be a mentor.

I worked with a kid earlier, and didn't do him justice. We worked on moves and slights. We didn't work on the thinking that goes into the magic you perform. I didn't encourage him to develop his own style as much as I should have.

Knowing a little more now...I'd challenge you to challenge your teacher to do more than moves. Work with him (or her), helping you to become more than a "move junky." And, oh yeah....have fun.

Hi Steve !

I'm taking group lessons, but the teacher is a really great teacher, he has been teaching magic since he was 10 years old, I think. He went to 4F and he is pretty good! And don't worry, i'm sure that i'll have a lot of fun!

Mark

I would be willing to bet you are getting the lessons through "Perfect Magic". Even if you are not, search out Phil Matlin at Perfect Magic as you will find him to be one of the most ethical dealers in magic, knowledgable and extremely helpful and full of excellent ideas. His wife is a real sweetheart too. Tell them I sent you.
PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think acting and dramatising ( not over-dramatising ) is rather vital for an effect to work well... perhaps try to develop your own presentation and show it to your mentor. That would allow you to learn what to look out for when coming up with your own presentation.

Alex,
You're right up to a point. But I think icepik is learning the fundamentals before learning how to interpret them.

I was at the Magic Castle last fall...and came across a true beginners' course in magic. I do mean "true beginners;" the teacher was instructing the class on how to do an overhand shuffle properly.

The lesson there is to learn the basics before moving on to the advanced work. Learn the moves, but understand that magic does not stop there...that the presentation of what you've learned is equally important. (And referring to my post above, that's where I could have better worked with the kid I taught; I should/could/would have taught him far more than the moves. In my next life....)

Thoughtreader :
I never went to Perfect Magic, because there is another magic store near where I live (Magie Spectram). Maybe I should give it a try! And I'm taking my lessons with Yannick Lacroix, if you know him..

I think a good magic teacher will teach you tricks and presentation. That is why videos have become so popular - you see presentations. However, a good magic teacher can work with you to develop your unique
"you" and can cut through a lot of material that they have learned through trial and error.

Our "Magic Café" is also a great resource for that (I wish it was around when I first started in magic). Besides learning tricks, you should be using the opportunity to show your instructor presentations that you have developed and ask for comments. A good magic teacher can be worth their weight in gold.

I started with books/DVDs, and after doing those for 5 or 6 months, started taking those basic classes at the Magic Castle. Where, yes, we learned how to hold a deck and do basic shuffles on day 1. The teacher also put a lot of emphasis on performance, and made sure all the moves were very basic and easily learned (though they got harder by the 2nd and 3rd series of classes).

What a great way to get into the art form!