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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
Hi folks,
Does anyone have advice or practice exercises for how to be casual? When the instructions to a trick advise you to be casual, what does that mean? I know in principle -- don't make a big deal about a move, don't act self-conscious about it, don't draw attention to it through words or body language -- but that's all theory. The first principle of being casual is probably to practice your sleights so well that you can do them, without thinking and with utter confidence, while talking or doing something else. That in itself is pretty daunting. During the three years or so that I've been studying magic I've practiced a double lift, the Hunter shuffle, etc., many, many times, and I'm still not nearly as consistent as I'd like to be. Another principle would be to be relaxed -- but I'm nervous by nature, and I don't know how well I fake calm! Can anyone suggests exercises in casualness? I'm thinking of the sort of thing that Al Schneider suggests (in his work on false transfers, for instance), but perhaps not specifically directed toward one technique. Just some sequences of moves to practice that would make it easier to be casual when doing secret moves. A bit like practicing scales in music, I suppose. Thanks to everyone for whatever ideas they might have. Bob |
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WitchDocChris Inner circle York, PA 2614 Posts |
The biggest thing is indeed being so confident in your sleights and methods that you don't have to devote much mind space to it. Sleights should be second nature. Practice the sleights independently until they occur automatically, then rehearse the trick with your script so it becomes natural to do those things while saying those words.
It also helps to make a point of studying yourself, so you know how you behave when you're not performing. These natural positions are what will make people not even suspect you're doing something sneaky, because it all fits in what they expect from the rest of your behavior.
Christopher
Witch Doctor Psycho Seance book: https://tinyurl.com/y873bbr4 Boffo eBook: https://tinyurl.com/387sxkcd |
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
It's impossible to be casual when you're struggling with what you're doing, or you fear getting "caught."
I'm a huge believer that you practice at the edge of your skill set, but perform from the center of it. By definition, anything you perform should be muscle memory. When you have that, it's easier to be casual. And I'm of the opinion that your performance of magic should never be not casual. You should never be seen to be working at what you are doing. So when instructions say to do something casually, that's a rule for everything you do in your entire magic career. So the first "exercise" would be to commit those sleights to muscle memory, and simply don't perform them until they are at that level. Second, you've got to get out there and fail. Being casual comes from confidence, and confidence comes from mastery (of the sleights) and overcoming adversity in performance. When you've crashed and burned enough to realize that it's not the end of the world and that you have developed the skills and outs to get out of any bad situation you find yourself in, your brain can "afford" to be casual. But to your point, perhaps one good exercise is simply to raise your head and look people straight in the eye every time you do a sleight. That means every time you practice one, look up into a mirror at yourself. Get to the point where you do the sleight while looking at your face in the mirror and your face looks normal and casual, and you're ready to practice the same thing on living people. Practice looking someone (mirror?) in the eye and smiling (casual smile like you're enjoying life, not some creepy thing) at the same time you do your sleight. And -- and I'm trying to think of a nice way to say this -- practice unpuckering your rear at the time you do your sleights. You physically cannot be relaxed when your rear is tense. It's biological. So when you practice sleights, make a conscious effort to exhale, relax the rear exit port, look your self/audience in the eye, and smile. Doing all those things together will teach your brain to relax whenever you do a sleight. And that allows you to be casual. BTW, smiling in a friendly way is always casual. And looking people in the eye takes their eyes away from burning your hands. My $0.02
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10586 Posts |
Good advice so far.
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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
Good advice indeed.
Dana, thanks as always. I think inflation brings your $0.02 to something like $200. Or maybe you misplaced a decimal point. Anyway, I really like your advice about smiling in a friendly way, because I'm lucky and have an naturally open, friendly smile. (I take no credit for this; it's just the shape of my mouth or something.) There's a bit of a paradox in what you said, it seems to me. On the one hand, don't perform until the sleight has become pure muscle memory. On the other hand, get out there and perform. I"m not sure *any* of my sleights are at the point of muscle memory. My long suffering double lift still isn't where it needs to be for performance. And believe me, I've worked hard on it, practicing it over and over as you suggested. Okay, I'm going to work on people's ideas -- studying oneself (thanks, Chris), deep breaths, etc. |
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kaubell New user 90 Posts |
Magic is strong when nothing happens.
Card is placed into deck and its found from envelope. You never touch the deck. How you can simulate "nothing happen" moments. How you can appear like you never did anything. How you can eliminate everything, so your appearance is pure. Bottom palm, you square up the deck. DL, you just display the top card. You are only seen squaring up the deck, shuffling, dribbling, etc. You start to realize how much less you can handle the deck, how much less and limited the surroundings starts to be. If theres visible sleight, how you can eliminate it and make the trick more pure. Magic is about something impossible. If you do Jordan Count, it can fly by, but if that's the only method behind the trick and theres nothing more to it, everybody gets its. "Its something with the count". They don't need to know finger positions or the name. Its just count. What tricks you collect to your arsenal. You might look casual performing, but the tricks you do are not casual. Not because you do anything wrong, but because the tricks are built wrong. Theres 10 second deals, 5 passes, 2 OC counts, and then you make the card appear on top of the deck with classic pass (that you disappear with erdnase cc). How impossible the magic looks for the spectator. Your casualness and everything is bound to this idea, you are creating impossible moments. Theres no other reason for casualness unless it enchaces your effect. You need to drive everything to that direction. Hanging with loose arm is not the case. You are casual and then do DL that looks like 1min flourish cut, it don't work. It goes all to what tricks you do, how you do them, sleights, talk, misdirection, etc. Its complete package. Self working card trick can make people scream. One double lift can destroy people. You don't need that much for great effects that looks natural and you can perform casually by your nature. |
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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
Thanks, kaubell. So, to summarize: handle deck sparingly; use a plot that includes red herrings so that it isn't obvious when you must have done something sneaky; always keep in mind goal of creating the seemingly impossible.
Do you have any suggestions for tricks that would be good for practicing these ideas? (The tricks would need to use easy sleights only. I'm not ready for palming or the pass, for instance. I can do an okay-ish DL; a Braue reversal; Halo cut; double undercut...) Bob |
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mlippo Inner circle Trieste (Italy) 1227 Posts |
Since you referred to red herrings, why not Benjamin Earl's "Red Herring".
It's devastating. Another similar one (partly inspired by the above trick) is John Bannon's Prophet Motive III. Mark |
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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
Thanks, Mark! I watched the performance video of Red Herring and was dumbfounded. Then I discovered that you can order the pdf for free from Earl's site by signing up for his mailing list. So far I've just skimmed the explanation, but I can already see that this is a great trick to practice being casual. Great recommendation.
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mlippo Inner circle Trieste (Italy) 1227 Posts |
Glad you liked my suggestion!
This has become my favourite trick when they ask me for "one more, please". And this is the presentation I use. "I'm currently working on a new trick, for a contest I'd like to enter .. The contest is called 'The world's most honest magician'. Well, in case you want to know if such a contest really exists ,,, the answer is NO, but in case someone comes out with it one day, I want to be ready! Obviously, for 'The World's most honest magician' contest, the first thing is to have a spectator shuffle the cards very well. So please, shuffle the cards" And so on ... The leit motiv of the presentation is the fact that to enter the contest, it is necessary to be even more honest after each phase and everything I tell the spectator to do, goes in that direction. I hope I've been able to give you a good idea of how I present it. Mark |
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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
You have, Mark, and thank you for taking the time to write it up. Usually when people tell me their presentations I feel what worked for them won't work for me, but this is an exception -- it fits in very well with my whimsical, tongue-in-cheek style. I especially like "Well, in case you want to know if such a contest really exists ,,, the answer is NO, but in case someone comes out with it one day, I want to be ready! "
Just curious -- why do you use it only (or especially) for the situation where they ask for one more? Bob |
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Mark Williams Special user Las Vegas, Nevada 513 Posts |
Hi Bob, Being casual all boils down to who you are...when not performing magic. Consider what you do in your everyday life. Be mindful of your relationships with your Family, Friends, Neighbors, Co-Workers and anyone else you are in contact with on a daily basis. How do you get along with them? Are you at ease when you are with them? Are you shy or outgoing? etc. These types of questions that you ask about your own self, will help answer "How can I be casual"?
The key is to use who YOU are when you are performing magic. Treat each performance as if you were with friends. People you perform magic for, will be willing to take the journey with you...Be yourself, relax and have fun! Best Magical Regards, Mark Williams
"Once is Magic!! Twice is an Education!!"
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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
Nice to hear from you, Mark. Luckily for me, I get along with all kind of people; I usually take the attitude (in my own mind), "What can I learn from this person?" I'm actually shy, too -- it all depends on who I'm with. Anyway, your advice strikes me as good.
Your post makes me realize that the idea of "being casual" is ambiguous. I think I can be casual in the sense that you're talking about -- I'm doing it anyway in my life. But there's another sense in which one needs to be casual as a magician, right?: Here I am, doing a double undercut. How do I avoid being self-conscious; how do I do the move in such a way that people don't pay attention to it? I suppose that if I'm having a friendly conversation with someone while doing the DU, that would help... Anyway, you've given me a nice set of things to pay attention to. See you, Bob |
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mlippo Inner circle Trieste (Italy) 1227 Posts |
Quote:
On Jun 17, 2019, Bob G wrote: Well, I'm just an amateur. When I perform I usually go for ten/fifteen minutes, not more. And I always go for routines that are well thought, practised, scripted and rehearsed, hoping to give the best experience possible (as far as I am able to give, since I'm no Dani DaOrtiz nor Tommy Wonder). Going short follows the golden rule "leave them wanting for more" which you're certainly familiar with... So when they ask me for "one more" I'm sure they really mean it and so I cannot disappoint. You need one trick, that MUST be amazing. My favourite used to be "The Moving Pencil" from CUCM. I then started using "A question of Sex" from Giobbi's Card College 4 (which is inspired by Lorayne's trick), but with a different handling and presentation (mine in this case). The advantage of these tricks is that you leave the spectators with a signed card. Especially with the second one, you involve two spectators (a couple) and you leave them with a card signed on both sides, which I cut and transform into an impossible object. Another good one is Insured Prediction from Card College 5. In my opinion, Red Herring is another perfect trick for these occasions, that's why I'd rather not use it in perfomance. I prefer to do it less often, rather than "waste" it doing it the wrong moment. Just my opinion of course. Mark |
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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
And your opinion is exactly what I asked for. I guess I can clarify my question now that I've heard your answer. Let's say you've planned your 10-15 minutes; wouldn't you want your last *planned* trick to be truly amazing? Of course, if you do that then there's nowhere to go if they ask for more... As usual, though, I'm getting way ahead of myself. I need to work on my performance skills and basic sleights.
Thanks, Mark. |
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mlippo Inner circle Trieste (Italy) 1227 Posts |
Quote:
On Jun 18, 2019, Bob G wrote: You've understood perfectly what I meant. I always want to have that little "more" I can give them in case I'm asked. Usually this happens if it's the first time they see me do something. If they don't ask me (for whatever reason), I know I have it for next time, in case ... And, by the way, when I am asked, I always act as if I'm not sure it's a good idea first. Without overdoing it ... Then I act as if a good idea came to mind... The "working on a contest" plot, is a good one, in my opinion, because it also seems I'm showing them something "special", something I don't show to everybody since it a work in progress ... And I always make it clear I won't show anything else after that and I have always kept my word, whatever they say afterwards! Mark |
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
Mark's suggestion of doing Red Herring gave me another thought on this. Red Herring is a self working trick. It's much easier to practice being casual when you don't have to worry about executing a bunch of sleights. So yeah, do self-working tricks!
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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davidpaul$ Inner circle Georgetown, South Carolina 3086 Posts |
Quote:
On Jun 19, 2019, danaruns wrote: Yes but how are you going to learn when effects require a bunch of sleights? Sure do self working tricks but it will do nothing for your "casual practice" for the more advaced ones. This has always been the bottom line for me; go through the routine whether it is with cards, coins, sponge balls, whatever without the sleights. Put a coin in your hand. Turn the top card over on the deck. Put a sponge ball in your other hand. It is easy to be casual and natural because you are. Then add the sleights. You will have to learn concepts like "in-transit-action". Thank you Raphael Benetar or the "Riccochet Teqhnique". Thank you Tommy Wonder that aid in successfully masking those sleights to look casual to your audience and feel casual to you. There are many other techniques to study. Here is the key. Get out there and perform. It is a whole different scenario when in front of people. Nerves kick in. You blink your eyes when executing a sleight and a miriad of other un-natural movements (tells) Your audience will be your best teacher. Be prepared to pay attention and "learn" from your audience as well as their eye gaze and reactions. FWIW
Guilt will betray you before technique betrays you!
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kShepher Elite user Washington, DC 470 Posts |
Bob...you always come up with good ones.
I interpet that as focusing on the audience, cracking a joke, etc. You might be pinky counting at the time. Many will disagree with this but ONE single beer doesn't hurt. Two will....unless you're a natural social animal. |
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Bob G Inner circle 2830 Posts |
Thanks for the compliment, K. There's *so* much to do at once in magic -- it can be overwhelming. Crack a joke *while* pinky counting?! That's like asking someone to walk and chew gum and the same time. But I'm at a somewhat cooler stage where I'm better able to be patient and work on one thing at a time.
As for the beer.... I know this is sacreligious (sp?), but I never liked beer. Fortunate because I have to avoid gluten these days, and beer is made from wheat. Now on the other hand, a single glass of Kopparberg Pear Cider would be just the thing. |
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