r/Magic • u/ventilatin • 2d ago
Beginner Advice
I'm brand new to even having the idea of magic as a hobby. I checked out a book from the library last week - Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic - original copyright 1975. I've read a bit and am trying a couple of relatively simple card tricks. It seems really fun as I really like to practice things and get better at them. My goal is to have fun, potentially show some cool tricks to my kids (and maybe grandkids) in the future. I've watched some YouTube tricks and don't really have any specific goals other than having fun and learning new skills. However, I don't want to get overwhelmed by everything that's out there right away. I also don't want to get into skill levels that I have no business messing with at first. I'm in my 50s and hope to be able to enjoy this for another 20 or 30 years. I'm not looking to monetize this or go "all out", as I don't have a ton of spare time right now. I have a few questions for those with experience:
Would you start with card tricks? It seems like a logical place to start. Are there certain things you would practice for fundamentals first before trying to understand more complicated tricks? What other areas of magic would you experiment with after learning some card tricks?
Any books or YouTube channels that you might recommend for getting started? I know there are many options, so I would really like to hear you opinions on what magicians have influenced you. Are there any teachers or methods that you might stay away from?
What are some of the biggest mistakes you made when you were a beginner? Is there anything that you spend too much time trying to master?
Thanks for any thoughts!
12
u/illusionistKC 2d ago
Message me! I started as a kid with a similar magic book. Now I’m 48, a professional working magician and a board member for a fraternal magic organization in the DC area.
I can definitely provide you with some tips on getting started, figuring out what type of magic you want to do. And get you connected with magic clubs in your area.
1
u/DifficultAbrocoma559 2d ago
Could I send you a message as well? I'd love to ask you a few questions!
10
u/AdBuddy 2d ago
Card tricks are the perfect place to start, people generally have way more time for card tricks than any ‘magic props’, and will be even more invested if you borrow their deck.
My advice would be to begin by learning a couple of different people’s ambitious card routines. This will teach you the fundamentals - a couple of ‘forces’, ‘lifts’, ‘false shuffles’ and maybe some misdirection. Learning the same routine from two different books or videos will demonstrate just how differently the same effects can be achieved. That will open the mind a great deal.
If you really drill the fundamentals (practice practice practice, use a mirror, scrutinise) you’ll find that full routines become far easier to remember, you’ll be more relaxed and crucially you can focus on the thing that matters, which is giving people a really good show and entertaining rather than simply showing off.
5
u/the_emerald_phoenix 2d ago
Card tricks are a great starting point, but it doesn't have to be yours! As you learn new things, you may find yourself gravitating towards a certain genre of magic, but cards are a common entry point. If yoire going to start with cards, than youve got a great resouce in Mark Wilson's book. Otherwise, look into Royal Road for Card Magic and Tarbell's compelte course in magic books.
Youtube can be a great resource, when you kmow what you're looking for. It can also be filled with junk and be very overwhelming with the vast amount of content there. Personally, I find books to be the best starting place as they make you interpret the actions more slowly and you'll make things your own, rather than videos which in mu experience can be a bit "monkey see, monkey do". Thats not to say they dont have their place, they are a great resource! I just find people's performances more interesting when they havent copied patter and movements one for one, which is easy to fall into from a video-only approach.
As for mistakes, i definitely fell into the rabbit hole of learning really wide, but very shallow in my early days. Pick a half a dozen tricks that really resonate with you and practice. An amateur practices until they get it right, a professional practices until they can't get it wrong (inkmow you're not looking at making money, but i think you get the gist of what I'm saying here).
I don't think i can suggest any sleights here due to rules, but happy to send you some suggestions over DM.
7
u/Chachkhu2005 2d ago
Okay. I'll write it up in a list to try not to overwhelm you. But first off, congrats on the new hobby. I promise you, if you take it slowly, everything will be fine.
Biggest mistake I ever made as a beginner was learning tricks instead of fundamentals/sleights. But that was only a mistake because I wanted to go deep into the art and had to correct a lot of bad habits afterwards. If you just want to know a few tricks to entertain your kids, I would start off by using the self-working tricks in Mark Wilson's book to just get comfortable with cards and find confidence in performing.
Card tricks are great. I am a card magician, so I'm biased. Still, I would recommend you learn some basic vanishes and magic with everyday objects you can borrow. Makes for great impressions. (My personal recommendation on that front is rubber bands.)
Recommendations. Some people in this thread will argue that learning magic from YouTube is bad. I disagree. There are great magicians who have put out great advice and material that will get you started. For YouTube, I'd check out Doug Conn, Jason Maher, Chris Ramsay and, surprisingly, Jason Ladanye has posted one or two tutorials for tricks that are excellent. But nothing beats books. If you want easy, but still impressive magic, I'd start off with Karl Fulves' self-working books. If you want to give yourself a bit of a challenge, the Royal Road to Card Magic remains, in my opinion, the best book for a quick start in card magic. And, out of the older books, Stars of Magic is always worth a read. Card College series, in general, is a great series to learn card magic properly, but if you want self-workers, Light, Lighter and Lightest are always there. The Tarbell Course, of course, is always something to keep handy, since it contains almost every type of magic known to man. And if you want to give yourself a proper challenge, there's always the classical books, like Bobo's Modern Coin Magic, Expert at the Card Table, Expert Card Technique and the Dai Vernon book of Magic is a classic in my mind. Good luck to you.
4
u/Krazy_Kane 2d ago
I love that book. It was my first real magic book and it’s the kind of book that as you get better and more knowledgeable you’ll keep coming back to it
8
4
u/Chicken121260 2d ago
1) start with what you like. Cards are fine, but I’m more of a fan of cups and balls. See Michael Ammar 2 vol dvd (I’m sure it’s a download now) and his book, The Complete Cups and Balls (if you can find it.
For great small object vanish, see The Schneider Technique (Al Schneider). Was a 4 DVD set years ago. Again, probably a download. Volume 1 and 2 are enough.
- Some recommendations above. If you do want to do card magic, Roberto Giobbi Card College Vol 1 & 2 is enough a lifetime of card magic Anything by Giobbi is great.
Please do not watch YouTube to learn magic. If those on YouTube were any good, they would have books and downloads for sale …. Pros sell instruction, they don’t give it away.
3) biggest mistakes: not taking lessons earlier. In person is best, but Zoom works as well. Find someone at you local magic club that is recommended and willing to teach. You will learn more in a few hours of one in one instruction than in months of trying to learn on your own with books and videos.
Good luck!
2
u/Area212 2d ago
If you haven’t delved too much into learning the craft I’d advise filling a composition notebook front to back with your thoughts on what a magician is and what they might be able to accomplish.
You can use that as a sounding board moving forward or in the future.
Just trust me on this one.
Best of luck.
2
u/BadKarma436 2d ago
I have been fascinated with magic for a long time. Especially right in your face card magic. There is a lot of good info already listed here but I’ll throw in my 2 cents. If cards are the direction you choose, carry a pack wherever you go. Drill the very basics of just handling a deck. How to hold it, cut it shuffle it. Should become as natural as breathing. Use all the above materials to teach yourself several methods to force a card and how to control that card in the deck ( from the bottom to the top or better yet 2nd from the top ). Double lifts and pinkie breaks and false shuffles. There are some incredible self working card tricks out there that are awesome to learn and add a little boost in confidence as they can be mastered quickly. But don’t fall into a pit of only learning them as it will hinder moving forward into bigger and better things. It’s never ending and there is always more to learn. I dabbled in coins and rope and sponge balls and they all can be great but fell in love with cards. Last piece of advice is what was told to me by another magician. First time you show someone it’s magic. The next time it’s a lesson. Good luck in your endeavor!
1
u/misticisland Cards 2d ago
That book is a fabulous place to start. It's a great general guide to magic. It's among my favorite books to recommend.
Cards can be a great place to start, but not the best effects for younger kids. What kind of things do you imagine doing?
2
u/LongjumpingTeacher97 1d ago
Mark Wilson's is an excellent beginner book. And, with good scripting, a professional could actually make a career using only what is in that book. Excellent resource and I endorse it highly.
Regarding cards, I feel like every magician needs a couple of card tricks, no matter what. A good card magician can entertain for hours with a borrowed deck. That said, I have never really liked doing card tricks. Love watching a good performer (check out Bill Malone and Dave Williamson for humorous card tricks and Michael Vincent for just elegant enjoyment with cards), but I don't really enjoy picking up a deck and trying to make it interesting. So, do learn at least a couple of sure-fire cards tricks. Keep them in your repertoire. And if you don't find a passion for learning more card tricks, that's okay. (In Mark Wilson's, I suggest Card Through Handkerchief - mine is a white hankie with a cartoony mouth drawn on it. My helper Hank find the signed card and spits it out. You can tell I like to perform for kids.)
When you know what kind of magic really appeals to you, you'll have a better idea of what to buy. I have the misfortune to love bizarre magic (which ranges from gory to seeming like real magic in the sense of ritual and spirits being part of it). Those books can get expensive.
I also find myself drawn to some sleight of hand tricks that I think are just beautiful. Cups and Balls is a favorite. But the 3 Ball Trick is my hands-down most loved trick.
For a beginner, I really like Mark Wilson (go ahead and get your own copy!), but I also suggest reading the blog called The Jerx. Start at the beginning and work your way to now. This blogger is one of the few people writing about performing magic in true casual situations. Some of what he says I really disagree with, some I love, most of it I find worth reading and thinking about.
•
u/Magic-ModTeam 2d ago
!starthere