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| People as young as 9 and as old as 99
have found they can learn magic that entertains and surprises their friends
and family, why wait? |
| If you're new to magic, here are a few
thoughts - and they're followed by Hey Presto's Top 10 hints for new magicians!
For children, we recommend a "box of tricks",
and Hey Presto has several to choose from. These packages offer a range
of simple effects that can build reputations!
We stock a line of self-working effects
at Hey Presto which we highly recommend as these let you concentrate on
what you're saying (known as patter) without having to do anything exotic.
What could be easier than that?
You may already have an interest in a particular
style of magic (for example card effects, coin tricks - or maybe even magic
with matches, rope and rubber bands!) Just let us know and we'll work with
you to find the right products.
As you gain more experience, we can recommend
books and DVD's and some more elaborate effects, but the best place to
start would be to click on our section called "Easy Magic for beginners",
but before you do that, here's our top-10 hints for budding conjurers.
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1. A magician never reveals the secret
of an effect.
It doesn't matter how much they plead,
you're more popular as a magician when the audience doesn't now how it's
done. On top of that, there is simply no gain in sharing the secret - so
don't do it.! |
2. Focus. Focus. Focus.
Sometimes it's tempting to want to try
it all, but focusing on a single area of interest lets you develop your
skills in that area first. For example, you might want to start with tricks
using household products before you move to effects requiring card manipulation
skills. |
3. Self-working effects are a great
place to start.
These effects are guaranteed to get you
wowing people in no time. There are self-working tricks using cards, coins,
and various low-cost props, and some of these can be found in our Easy
magic section. |
4. When it comes to cards, Bicycles
are best.
Bicycle Brand playing cards are the brand
choice for magicians. These cards are well made, and they are easy to handle.
They come in either red or blue backed decks, and the beauty of them is
that many "gaffed" (trick) cards are available; when you add these to your
regular Bicycle decks, you have some new routines. Also, each time you
do a card effect, the audience sees the same patterned backs (even if they're
different decks), so they think you always use the same deck of cards. |
5. Misdirection is an important part
of magic.
It might come from a gesture such as a
wave of the hand (physical misdirection), or via a pause (time misdirection),
but it's a technique you should develop as part of your routines. |
6. Video and DVD lessons are better
than books.
Being able to see the routine from several
angles (and slow-mo) makes learning magic more fun than ever - plus you'll
hear the patter and learn tips from the worlds best magicians (although
dollar-for-dollar, a book will contain more effects than a video or DVD) |
7. Find your own style.
The most natural style is your own, so
don't try to be like a magician you've seen on TV. There's only one David
Copperfield, only one Penn and Teller, and only one you. Yes magic involves
some acting, but it's always more convincing when it's an extension of
your own personality. |
8. Have fun.
If you're enjoying it, your spectators
will too. Part of having fun is being confident in your routine (including
patter and misdirection) and that comes from practice. |
9. Practice. Practice. Practice.
Each and every one of the worlds' great
magicians started out just like you. Then they got into some serious practice
and well, the rest is history. You practice your moves and rehearse your
routine. Do this in front of a mirror, or use a video camera as you will
see exactly what the audience sees (and hears). Practice refers to repeating
individual moves over and over. Rehearsing includes using your script and
performing your routine non-stop from start to finish. |
10. End on a high.
Several strong effects with a logical
progression to a climax guarantees to leave your audience asking for more
- and that's the best time to call it quits. |
