Want to Improve on Magic? Ditch the DVD and Buy a Book

In today's age of Internet and other Multimedia such as DVD and video downloads, Magic is much easier to learn now. The problem however is that less time is being dedicated by the learner to actually polish the things he/she have learned.

That's why in my opinion studying magic with a book is really better than most magic in multimedia format. Unlike most DVDs nowadays that are one trick ponies, books always have more to learn and most of the time gives better insights than most video downloads or DVDs out there.

Another thing is that when you buy a book on magic you are sure that it was written by someone who has the experience in magic. Unlike those videos which almost anyone even some inexperienced teenagers could make. I read reviews of some DVDs which were made by inexperienced people and my it was really bad.

As I have mentioned earlier most DVDs teach one-trick ponies that teaches how the trick is done rather than how to do it. With exception of very few DVDs that really teaches down to the smallest detail and advance handling, I think that most DVDs are just exaggerated to be marketed for some people's profits.

So now which would you choose? A one trick pony DVD easy to learn, hard to perform or a book that takes effort to learn but gives better insight for a better performance.

Until then,

Putting the Context in your Effects

This is maybe one of the most important lessons I learned from Joshua Jay's book. Putting an effect in context is something that most magicians,especially beginners, miss. The bad thing about this too is that even soem seasoned magicians actually fail to do so (refer to this post).

In my opinion what makes most effects out of context is that most of the time we stick to the methods up to the patter and presentation that we forget to make an effect our own. Quoting Bruce Lee he would always say about martial arts is that one should absorb what's essential and make it your own. In other words when we learn an effect we should think on how to perform it right to suit our own style and when we should perform it.

Going back of putting an effect out of context, I remember myself when I was still beginning with magic, I would actually copy almost every word that ws written in the book. In doing this I get the most bored reactions from the audiences and that really is the worst feeling a magician could get.

Well copying an effect up to the level of word per word isn't the only way to put an effect out of context. Another way is that adding the wrong and unecessary things and performing it at the wrong type of audiences. I've seen a lot of very powerful effects being performed by seasoned magicians that ended badly and boringly, and honestly I rather watch an amateur magician perform mediocre effects with the right audiences.

I hope that with this new learning, I would see improvement not only me but also with others who have read this blog.

Until then,

Review: Magic The Complete Course by Joshua Jay

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Honestly I thought that it would be impossible for me to actually procure this book from where I live. Fortunately thought yesterday as if through some stroke of magic my feet just lead me to a bookstore and as soon as I turn into the next corner there it was at the top shelf along with other books not related to magic.

I bought the book without hesitation and hurried home to read it. I was surprised on how much insight Joshua Jay has regarding magic and every little thing about it. I really liked how he is actually bringing the "context" into the effect.

Now regarding the book, I should say that it is really a very useful book not only for beginners but also for the more experienced ones. The effects on the book though not all are new actually gives a new and better dimension to what we could say as outdated effects.

With clear photos detailing how an effect is done, the book makes it easier to learn the said effects. What I really like about how Joshua Jay teaches the effects is that besides putting it in the proper "context", he provides the script thus giving the reader an idea on how the effect should be performed.

The organization of the effects we could say is situational which is quite different from most books which are categorical. I say this is a great help for those who actually find it hard to choose which tricks to perform. In addition to this Joshua Jay actually suggests a number of tricks to perform for a show, including preparations and the flow of the whole show.

I'm still about to view the DVD that comes with the book and hopefully I could write a review on it sooner.

Until then,