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Allan-Magic New user 2 Posts |
Hi all I am fairly new to magic but I have a major problem with nerves my hands shake and I get almost to terrified to perform. I have managed to do some magic for family and friends but even then I get so nervous, I would love to start performing properly and even make some money but I was wondering if anyone else has suffered this badly and how can I manage it.
Many thanks. Allan |
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Richard Schneider New user 57 Posts |
This thread offers some advice that you might find helpful. Nerves and shaky hands are common problems for beginners, and if you search around the Café I'm sure you'll find good advice.
Sometimes it's helpful to start with a self-working or other easy trick, to give you time to calm down when you first begin a performance. Another thing that really helps is (of course) practice, to the point where both what you do and what you say becomes automatic. It also does hurt to take a few deep breaths, shake yourself out, or otherwise release all some of the adrenaline that performing can bring. Hope some of this stuff helps, good luck! |
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Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
Most everyone's nervous when starting with magic so just dig in and work out the kinks. And welcome to the Café...there's lots of help in here.
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
With only fifty years of experience in magic, I may not be qualified to answer this.
If performing magic doesn't excite you, performing magic may not be a good investment of your time. Learning to control your behaviors and dealing with the excitement is another thing. Worry when the excitement is gone! Confidence-building takes time and exposure. Frequently, confidence is the key to competence. Mechanics is the easy part of magic. Tony Slydini used to make his students practice to the very hated metronome. Timing ultimately builds confidence. Working to music is a very acceptable aid there. Pros do it! Try it! Good luck with your entertaining with magic. Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
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Shakey Veteran user In over 4 million i've made 360 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-06-22 13:07, Allan-Magic wrote: |
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jimhlou Inner circle 3698 Posts |
It just takes time - keep at it. If you're doing shows, start the show with an easy to do effect, preferably set to music. This way you don't have to verbally communicate, and can concentrate on what you're doing. Pulling off a good opener has a way of relaxing you. After that it's just a matter of experience, the more shows you do the more relaxed you become.
Jim |
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Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
Alan, in my life experience I've found that confidence comes with maturity, whether in your career field or outside your career field. When I was nineteen I had a confidence level of zip for most things going on in my life. But I found that as I matured (and everyone is different here; some folks never mature!) so did my confidence improve, and that goes for most everything in life. I don't know your age, but just go with your impulses and make the mistakes we all do...then learn from them and keep going. You'll find your nerves calming down in proportion to your improvement in your confidence level.
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
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Allan-Magic New user 2 Posts |
Thanks for all the replies some great suggestions and I will be trying those out. I love the buzz of magic and the way it makes people feel I am determined to make this my full time job at some point because I love it so much.
Again many many thanks for the replies I am feeling much happier now and more confident. Thank you all Allan |
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Leland Inner circle St Louis 1180 Posts |
In order for me to take control of my nerves, I had to perform. First in front of family then I showed friends. Then my kid’s class room then I was asked to do a party. By the time I got to the party I was very nervous but knew that I could pull it off. I'll never forget the first trick was a self working ace assembly, once I got past that point it was easy. I still get nervous but I have the confidence that I can pull it off.
Practice and performance.
Life of Magic!
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ikarla New user Miami 7 Posts |
I an new in the forum and had the same problem.
What is helping me to control my nerves is public speaking. Look for a Toastmasters club near your home. |
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Mike Maturen Inner circle Michigan's Beautiful Sunrise Side 2726 Posts |
Amen to all the above. I've been doing magic for 37 years now, and I still get nervous...and that's a GOOD thing! Like Bob Sanders said, it magic stops exciting you...it's time to get out!
I am a professional public speaker, as well. I have appeared on live TV in front of an audience estimated at over 12 MILLION worldwide (not for magic, by the way). I have done hundreds of live radio spots. If anyone should have the ability to NOT get nervous...it's me. However, I think the nervousness, when channeled properly, adds excitement to the performance. Keep at it! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE...then you will be so good at the methods that you won't be as nervous...and can concentrate on having fun. .....and when YOU have fun, the AUDIENCE has fun!
Mike Maturen
World of Wonder Entertainment The Magic and Mayhem of Mike Maturen 989-335-1661 mikematuren@gmail.com AUTHOR OF "A NEW DAWN--Weekly Wisdom From Everyday Life" member: International Magician's Society |
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Mr. Woolery Inner circle Fairbanks, AK 2149 Posts |
My bagpipe instructor talks about learning to channel adrenaline. I just competed at the only highland games in Alaska, in front of world-class judges, having gotten lost on the way and holding things up. I was nervous! I was also cold, tired, recovering from a stomach illness, and worried about my son who was now starting to show symptoms of the same illness. Oh, and it was the first time I would compete in that grade. Was I nervous? Oh, yeah!
Here's how I handle that with bagpipes and it I bet it would work with magic tricks, too. (My magic audiences have never been bigger than about 20 kids, so I have not had much in the way of nerves - I tend to approach magic as playing a game with the kids.) 1- Prepare. Learn my tunes (your tricks) really well. I spent about 4 months working on my competition tunes specifically for this competition, but I had started learning them about 6 months ago. That's for a total of maybe 6 minutes of performing. 2- Rehearse. I pick a rock or a wall or a tree to pretend it is the judge/audience (depends on what I am preparing for) and go through any introductory speaking I will have to use. Surprising how easy it is to forget the name of a tune when the pressure is on. 3- Break it down. I will play parts over and over that are problematic for me until they are not problematic. 4- Bring it back to my teacher. Since I have weekly lessons, I get the feedback on what I am doing wrong before I can spend a month drilling it into my head the wrong way. 5- Find a willing audience. With bagpipes, that's practicing at a part. With magic, it can be a group of kids you know, a classroom where you volunteer, a break room at work with two or three folks drinking coffee, or a friend who has agreed ahead of time to give you productive feedback. 6- Practice things going wrong. This is minor, but if my chanter is a little cockeyed, I'll play through the tune once with it wrong before adjusting it. If the ground I picked to stand on is uneven, I'll play the whole tune once before I move to a more level place. If you are practicing a card trick and drop a card, keep going. Use this as a time to practice an ad-lib (That was an extra and we don't need it for this trick.) Don't try to make them go wrong, but when they do in practice you have a golden opportunity to rehearse what you will do when they go wrong in performance. If you want to really get past the nerves, you have to know your material so well that you can do it on autopilot and still get it right. I think this is true of any performance art. When you are confident that you can't get it wrong, the adrenaline rush will give sparkle to your performance, not ruin it. Seriously, I hope this helps. -Patrick |
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NLewis New user 41 Posts |
An interesting suggestion might be to actually have a bananna before your performance. The chemicals in the fruit actually help to calm people down. It's very useful in performances of my own (Card throwing, magic, and music!).
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Vincero Veteran user New Zealand 379 Posts |
You'll get over the nerves barrier in no time. The first effect you perform that gets a good reaction will seal the deal. It may not be perfect, but you'll get the taste for it. From there on you'll gain more confidence every time you perform. Just go for it. It's fun! Just practise the effect(s)/routine(s) you wish to perform so you know them like the back of your hand. If you genuinely do this, then it's illogical to think about stuffing up. It's human nature though, I guess.
Practise, and perform with swagger! Zac
"Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell; And in the lowest deep a lower deep
Still threat'ning to devour me opens wide, To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heav'n" -John Milton, (Paradise Lost) |
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mr.matt New user 61 Posts |
Double down on bananas... also oranges they help keep your throat happy for long winded talking (sam the bellhop)... and no carbonated drinks they ruin your voice
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Eddie Torres Special user New York City 692 Posts |
Perform easy tricks for as many people as you can as often as you can.Script your lines and memorize them, knowing what you're going to say helps ease your nerves a lot. And do any kind of theatre you can. Audition for a play, take acting classes, anything that will get you infront of people. Acting classes are so important and I think every magician should take them when starting out.
Eddie Ivan Torres
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Mike Maturen Inner circle Michigan's Beautiful Sunrise Side 2726 Posts |
I agree with Eddie. The ability to act really helps you "sell" the magic. I always say, magic is 10% method, 90% performance.
Mike Maturen
World of Wonder Entertainment The Magic and Mayhem of Mike Maturen 989-335-1661 mikematuren@gmail.com AUTHOR OF "A NEW DAWN--Weekly Wisdom From Everyday Life" member: International Magician's Society |
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Dreadnought Special user Athens, Georgia 836 Posts |
The shakiness can also be a sign of adrenaline dumping into your system. When adrenaline starts pumping it displays the same signs and symptoms as nervousness. Just watch any professional athlete before a gmae or match. The jumping around, the shakiness is all just a massive adrenaline dump. Once I realized that, I was able to move forward. I now welcome the shakiness because it's show time.
The first thing to go when adrenaline hits is manual dexterity. You lose feeling in your finger tips, which usually causes a lot of fumbling of things in your hand. In American football, because of the adrenaline coursing through the players - especially the quarterback and receiver - very few teams will just open up with a long bomb down the field. The first pass of the game is usually to a runing back in the flats, it's easy and allows everyone to get the pre-game jitters out of their system. When I was in the Army, I remember being in a really stressful situation and having to clear a weapon jam. Fear wasn't the issue it was the adrenaline. I had trouble getting my hands and fingers to cooperate. The key, as mentioned before, is to start with something that is pretty much self working that does not require a lot of manipulation and dexterity which will allow you to settle down and get into rhythm. It also helps tp believe you are who you say you are. If you bill yourself as a new age urban mystic, then believe with every fiber of your mind, body and soul that you are a new age urban mystic. If you believe it the audience will believe it. The moment you cease to believe, the moment doubt creeps in is the moment the audience starts to doubt. If someone is paying you to entertain them, then they want to be entertained. They are not there to see you fail.
Peace
"Ave Maria gratia plena Dominus tecum..." Scott Would you do anything for the person you love? |
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whiteoakcanyon Special user 899 Posts |
I would echo the previously mentioned advice of starting with self working effects that will give you a chance to relax and begin to enjoy the moment. Self working effects can be very impactful. Good luck.
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ThinkThurston New user 66 Posts |
I love what Bob Sanders wrote about maintaining the excitement of performance. I wanted to add a Tiger Words, "I've always said the day I'm not nervous playing is the day I quit."
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