DL, pass, palm

Here's a question for Pauldelafontaine and anyone else who cares to answer: how hard is the pass? I just purchased Henry Hay's wonderful book, Learn Magic, and was surprised to find that he teaches it -- ostensibly to beginners! I myself am, to use piano terminology, a "late beginner." Is it worth trying to learn the pass? Or should I wait? I had the impression that the pass was among the hardest sleights. I can do a pretty decent Halo cut and strike DL, and am working on the Elmsley count and Biddle steal -- just to give you an idea of where my skills are at the moment.

I haven't used the basic Classic Pass in many decades - haven't found it necessary.

Agreed. The classic pass is entirely unnecessary. That said, I am here to defend it.

I cannot remember the last time that I performed any magic out of necessity.

The point is that magic, for me, is about finding techniques that give me a sense of engagement, satisfaction, and flow - it is not about filling requirements.

It is an art form. It is a personal pursuit that transcends necessity and which reminds me of my interests.

Forgetting that can lead to tragic results. At worst that means a magician's life ends in suicide.

This thread is about favorites. Your favorites. It is about where you find flow.

For some the classic pass has provided years of satisfaction through study, refinement, and self-mastery.

As we used to say on the Lower East Side (the ghetto) of New York's Manhattan - zazeech his own.

We here sometimes say something similar - it takes all kinds. The beauty of the world is its dance of diversity.

I was surprised to find the classic pass early in the Card College series. Too early to my mind. It’s really one of the toughest move of the entire repertoire. Even when you watch Dingle or other super good chops men doing it, you realize that there is something as a pipe dream in that move. I’ve never seen anybody doing it completely imperceptibly. But it can be done convincingly with little misdirection. I would say it is a move to practice and to learn how to learn…for expert purposes. I’ve worked so hard on this move when I was young, I could have learn hundreds of other moves instead this single one. In contemporary card magic, I think it can be useful, but it’s far from necessary.

Bob, if I were you, I would work on other sleights.

Thanks for the advice, Rachmaninov. That sounds like the voice of wisdom and experience. I'll continue with my current practice -- Elmsley Count and Biddle Steal.

It was also in my first magic book "Now You See It, Now You Don't!" by Bill Tarr.

Add to the mix The Ultra Move and the massively overlooked, possibly very underrated Primal Screen (from Trendsetters).

In fact, combine these two moves - and you've got just about the most natural control and transformation with playing cards possible. Both moves cut out so much of the messing about/extraneous/'faffing' that many magicians appear to want to inflict upon their audiences.

Long time no see Merc Man!
Great to see you posting again.

While it is tempting to list something exotic or impressive sounding, the truth is that my workhorses are very common. Schulien used to say that all you need is a force, a control, and a steal. While this is an exaggeration, there is some truth to it. The sleights I use the most are classic force, overhand shuffle controls, top palm, glide, and the double lift. Of course, I have mostly performed traditional Chicago style bar magic. I am currently working on trying a different style and am practicing my spread cull, little finger counting, faro, and second deal. I expect that these will become important utilities for me in the future.