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Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
Hi folks,
I found this book on Lybrary.com: https://www.lybrary.com/tricks-for-trave......952.html I didn't know where to post this question, so here I am. Does anyone know this book? It sounds really intriguing, but it's hard to tell from the table of contents what it's like. One of the themes seems to be "plays big, packs small," which I like, but what interests me most is the hint that the material is designed to cross language barriers. I'd be curious to hear whether I'm right about that. More generally, I wonder if anyone could recommend resources on how to perform magic without patter. I'm playing around with different ways to present tricks, and the idea of the magician doing everything silently yet clearly appeals to me -- at least as one style to try. I gather that Cardini was a master of this (I hope there are some videos of him available), and Darko on the Café has done some really nice silent tricks. Thanks, Bob |
Mr. Woolery Inner circle Fairbanks, AK 2149 Posts |
I suspect that the silent magic used to be more popular than it is today.
Jeff Sheridan has a dvd set and he does a lot of his tricks silently. I’ve seen 2 or 3 on World’s Greatest compilations. Jim Cellini’s video Magic That Can Be Performed Anywhere is also visual and I don’t recall any speaking. Any manipulation routines can be done without talking. Hope that’s a start. More later, if I remember. Patrick |
Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
Thanks for these suggestions, Patrick. I'll look into them.
Bob |
Mr. Woolery Inner circle Fairbanks, AK 2149 Posts |
Jeff McBride does a lot of magic without speaking. Both his manipulation set and his Magic on Stage set show this well.
Think about some of the classics and ask yourself if they need explanations. Cups and balls often has patter, but does it need any? Billiard ball manipulation, rope magic, color changing handkerchief, linking rings, moser’s dream, do those need words? The egg bag is a bit more of a challenge, but a routine could be crafted without too much work. The haunted match box, a coin penetration, coin matrix, coins through table, levitation, penetration, or vanish tricks. All of these could be done without speaking. You lose a lot of opportunities for verbal humor, and you need to communicate with your actions what is happening. The more I think about this, the more I think it would benefit me to work on similar stuff. I might never perform mute, but I bet it would teach me more about directing attention. Patrick |
TomB Veteran user Michigan, USA 330 Posts |
If I was to do a silent act I would study the art of mime. They practice the whole art of not talking, understanding body language and facial expressions.
Teller, Jeff Bride, Masked Magician, and Slydini all have done silent acts. Teller and MM both have someone else talking though. Recently, on America Got Talent television shows, Shin Lim had a silent act. Britain Got Talent had mystery magician X, and then there was the the Sacred Riana. Although some of these had strong music to set the mood. Personally, I like the patter. Surely, acting classes in theater would help in misdirection. Tommy Wonder would recommend theater/drama courses. |
Kong Regular user Cymru 149 Posts |
Bob, an excellent video of Cardini performing was posted here not that long ago.
Here it is incase you missed it (he's on from 32:17 in): Quote:
On Feb 6, 2019, Bill Hegbli wrote: |
Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
Thanks so much, Kong. I'm really looking forward to watching it. Henry Hay's eloquent description of Cardini's act(I forget which book) made me sorry I'd never gotten to see Cardini.
TomB, I've taken some acting classes -- really fun -- but I concluded that I'm not particularly talented in that direction. Mime is a possibility, though; one of my acting teachers told me that the way I move is naturally humorous. I *think* she meant that as a compliment. Bob |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » New to magic? » » Ken de Courcy's book, "Tricks for Travelling Tricksters" -- and, how to perform without words? (0 Likes) |
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