David Copperfield

Tips On Being A Successful Magician
People who want to get into the profession of performing as a magician should know about the ins and outs of the business.

Being a professional magician is a field which is quite hard to get into without the proper motivation, know-how and guidance.

Here are some helpful tips on how you can land a gig as a magician and break into the field of performing magic tricks professionally:

1. Search within yourself and find out what you wish to gain from magic.

You might consider this field because you have found out that you are good with magic tricks. Another motivation could be that you love to perform in front of people. Whatever it is that pushes you to go after the art of magic tricks, you have to make sure that they are the proper reasons and that you see yourself doing it with passion and flair for many years to come.

2. It takes one to know one.

If you want to be a professional magician, learn everything you can about the field first. Check out the tricks of the trade.

If possible, study the ancient magic tricks and learn about how the greatest magicians started out and what their 'signature tricks' were.

If you are a magician who is just starting out, you should watch as much magic as you can.

Go to magic shows and see how the magicians perform and interact with the audience. Watch videos and imitate the performers if you can. The more tricks you have up your sleeve, the greater a magician you will be.

3. Be what you want to be.

You can be a mere hobbyist, or have a professional career in performing in front of a crowd, or you might want to be the next David Copperfield or Harry Houdini.

You need to work hard and invest more time, effort and practice if you want to be the next "great" magician.

4. Practice.

Perform a trick in private and make sure that it is perfect before attempting to perform it in front of an audience.

Also, never reveal your trade secrets, even to a friend, because this ruins the illusion.

Another important thing to remember is not to repeat the same trick in front of the exact same audience.

5. Know the right people.

If you plan to perform professionally for a particular group, either children or adults, you need to look for the contacts to help you land a gig or a performance to practice and hone your craft.

Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and sleight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! <a href="http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com" title="http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com" target="_blank">http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com</a>

The Art Of Magic Tricks
Magic tricks are enjoyed by people from all over the world. It is something that seems to be a universal language that entertains both young and old.

Many people attempt to become amateur magicians as a way of entertaining family and friends. If someone wants to become a good magician, it would be helpful to know the different varieties of magic tricks before performing them.

The first type that most people are familiar with is stage magic. This is the most difficult type of magic trick and is often associated with famous magicians such as David Copperfield, Lance Burton, and David Blaine. These types of magic tricks require a great deal of skill to perform and usually involve grand schemes like making a large landmark disappear or walking through walls.

The next type is called platform magic and is done on a somewhat smaller scale. These type of magic tricks are quite a bit easier to perform than most stage magic tricks and involve tricks such as sawing a person in half or levitating.

And finally, the last type of magic trick is called close up magic. This type requires the least amount of skill and can be learned with a little effort. These type of magic tricks include magic card tricks, coin tricks, cigarette through quarter, pencil through bill etc.

There are many different tricks that can be learned by just about anyone willing to practice. The secret to remember is to never reveal how you do your magic tricks to your audience.

The quickest path to acheiving your status as a master magician is to be able to perform magic tricks at a moments notice using a wide variety of borrowed objects. If you are handed a pencil, a coin, a handkerchief, or a dollar bill, you should be able to perform at least one magic trick with any of these objects. Another key thing to remember is that only a tiny fraction of the magic is what you do, and the rest is how you do it. If speaking candidly, many magicians would tell you that most of the tricks they perform are very easy, but to the audience, they are spectacular! It is all about how you present yourself to the audience: your timing, your sense of humor and your ability to distract are very important. So remember, with a little practice and showmanship, you can learn to be the life of the party by performing simple magic tricks.

Man2BMagic is the author and webmaster of the <a href="http://free--magic-trick.blogspot.com"title="Free Magic Trick">Free Magic Trick</a> blog. This site focuses on learning magic tricks, magic card tricks, and finding free magic tricks on the internet. http://free--magic-trick.blogspot.com

History Behind The Hat: The Story Of The Magician
The concept of magician as entertainer has its roots deep in human history, but mostly dates back to the sixteenth century. Prior to this time, those who practiced magic claimed to have supernatural powers. When this idea clashed with Christianity in the Western world, new magicians, who entertained audiences, emerged.

Chevalier Joseph Pinetti impressed audiences in the late 1700s with his tricks as an escapist and mentalist. Illusionists emerged in the nineteenth century, using devices to produce elaborate stage shows. One of the first magicians to use live animals was

"Hermann the Great," who performed disappearing acts and levitation tricks with the animals. Later, famous magicians Siegfried and Roy gained fame in part because of their elaborate show and tigers.

Harry Houdini, perhaps the most well known magician of all time, developed elaborate escape tricks including handcuffs and locked chambers in the early 1900s. His death on Halloween is now also known as "National Magic Day." Houdini also created grand illusions, some of which magician David Copperfield emulated. During Houdini's time, Vaudeville acts included and promoted magic tricks.

Over time, the interest in magic has come and gone, although it enjoyed a revival in the 1970s that continues today. Many magicians, similar to other performers, develop a unique style or focus on a particular type of illusion. David Copperfield makes large objects disappear. Lance Burton employs many birds, and Penn and Teller are known for their unique style. Most recently, David Blaine gained fame for his street magic and outrageous stunts.

Magicians of all sorts keep their secrets very secret. The appeal of magic is trying to figure out how magicians accomplish those amazing feats. For those interested in learning magic, many sources are available for the entry-level magician. Some well-known tricks are "out in the open," and beginning magic kits can help a beginner learn the tricks of the trade. Many books and other resources are available for card tricks as well. Many stores carry magical wares as well.

For those who are serious about the craft, two organizations are devoted entirely to magic, both with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. The Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians have chapters throughout the world, provide information, and hold conferences. For those
seeking information, these are good places to begin. Your local library is also a good place to find more information, as is the Internet. However, online sources in particular are varied in quality and information, so beginning with one of the organizations may be a better way to begin.

The allure of magic is very real. Throughout the past few decades, magicians have taken magic to a new level, with elaborate stunts and full-out entertainment spectacles. From amazing card tricks to large disappearing acts, magic will likely continue to enthrall audiences worldwide for years to come. It is a performance art unlike any other, and the mystery associated with magic adds a level of intrigue that does not exist with other performance arts.

Magic Magicians is an information site that contains articles, a directory and other<a href="http://www.magicmagicians.com/"> Magician Resources</a>. It can be found at: <a href="http://www.magicmagicians.com/">http://www.magicmagicians.com</a>

A Simple Magic Card Trick To Amaze Your Friends
Over recent years there has been a lot of interest in magic tricks, with the popularity of shows by David Copperfield and David Blaine an obvious indicator. But magic tricks don?t have to be confined to the professionals - anyone can perform magic tricks. You just need to learn how the trick is done!

Some tricks require you to master a number of special skills like the force (getting someone to take the card you want them to without them realising it) and the pass (swapping the top and bottom of a deck of cards without being seen). But the trick here doesn?t require any special skills to learn. It just requires a little bit of preparation. This trick is known as The Lost Ace.

After introducing a pack of unprepared cards, the performer removes the four Aces from it and lays them on the table in plain sight. The remaining cards are then handed to a spectator with the request to ensure there are no duplicate Aces in the pack. After this has been done, the conjurer picks up the four Aces and requests the spectator to shuffle them into the pack.

The performer then asks the spectator if they are sure they have all the Aces in their possession. After receiving and affirmative answer, the performer reaches into a pocket and produces the Ace of Diamonds. Upon inspection of the pack, this card is found to be missing!

Like all magic tricks, once you know how it?s done you?ll wonder how you could have ever fallen for it.

Previous to the trick, the performer removes the Ace of Diamonds from the pack, and places in a pocket. The cards laid on the table consist of the three Aces and the Nine of Diamonds, which is used as a substitute for the missing Ace of the same suit. To conceal the side pipe of this card, the Ace of Clubs and Ace-of Spades are made to cover it. With a little practice this can be done in an apparently careless manner of arranging the cards on the table, and finally placing the Ace of Hearts over them.

The trick then proceeds as described, the four cards (supposed to be four Aces) being shuffled into the pack. Then after the Ace of Diamonds is found to have vanished from the pack, the missing card is produced from the performer's pocket.

This trick is simple to do, but it is sure to entertain your friends and family as they wonder how on earth you did it!

Jason Anderson has many more card tricks like this one at <a href="http://www.howtodocardtricks.com/card-tricks.shtml" title="http://www.howtodocardtricks.com/card-tricks.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.howtodocardtricks.com/card-tricks.shtml</a> . Learn over 40 classic card tricks, and even learn the skills to create your own, unique tricks!

A Bit Of The History Of Magic
One could enjoy watching magicians perform their amazing tricks. Whether they are in a circus, in a school program, a friend?s birthday celebration, or in a favorite television show, magicians are among today?s top entertainers.

Here are a few of the top magicians in their times:

The history of using magic as a form of entertainment may have begun with magician Chevalier Joseph Pinetti. More than three centuries ago, Chevalier Joseph Pinetti, wowed his audiences worldwide with his bag of magic tricks. And that was in 1782!

Among his tricks was the ability to produce an orange tree blossoming on stage that bore fruit. Pinetti?s wife even acted as an assistant, helping the magician to do his mentalist and escape tricks. Known as the ?Professor of Natural Magic,? he was known for his great magic tricks, tricks that belonged clearly to the modern era of magic.

Come the nineteenth century. The said century welcomed the use of technical-assisted magic, with some of the magicians developing various devices that would aid or help in their illusions. Using optical aids or devices, electromagnets, as well as various stage lighting forms, these magicians were able to amaze audiences from time to time with their very elaborate and dazzling tricks.

One known magician in the nineteenth century was the magician Hermann the Great. Alexander Herrmann was his real name, and this German magician did his tricks with all of the kinds of stage magic he had known, even from super close-up productions to fill-stage events. An American rival, Harry Kellar, took over Herrmann?s popularity for some time and became the most prominent magician for more than 10 years.

Other magicians in the nineteenth century included T. Nelson Downs and Howard Thurston. Downs is originally a vaudevillian by trade, but had become great and famous in his magic tricks that he became known as ?King of Koins.?

Thurston, on the other hand, invested much of his money in building an extravaganza, which is a show on magic. It reigned over the American entertainment magic scene for over twenty-five years.

Probably one of the more known magicians in recent times was Harry Houdini. Known as one of the best American magicians, he was known for his great escape acts, including his own famous creation, the ?Chinese Water Torture Cell.?

Another famous American magician is David Copperfield, who until recently performed numerous magic acts in shows and TV programs.

Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and slight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! <a href="http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com" title="http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com" target="_blank">http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com</a>

A Brief History Of Magic
With magic, illusions, spells, tricks and ceremonials are usually performed for entertainment. It is a supernatural power which makes the seemingly impossible occur.

'Looking Back'

In ancient Egypt, there was a magician named Dedi who performed in front of a crowd, where he supposedly beheaded two birds and one ox. He eventually restored the heads of these three animals.

Because of this, the Egyptians were considered to be the first magicians recorded in history.

As the popularity of magic developed, tricks involving cups and balls were shown to the public. Then, playing cards, silver coins and dice were added to their slew of magical tricks.

Later on, ancient Greek magicians invented tricks involving the human body. A trick where a performer thrusts a dagger through one's arm without being hurt has been developed and shown in public places.

The ancient Chinese civilization also paved the way for magic. The "linking rings" is one of the earliest tricks ever invented. To begin with, a number of rings link themselves. The rings are made up of solid metal and the illusion is that they eventually unlink themselves.

'Famous Magicians'

One of the greatest magicians of all time is Harry Houdini. He started as a trapeze performer in the late 1800's and eventually became famous for his magical abilities.

He was an "escape artist" who bonded himself using locks or ropes and eventually extricated himself.

Spanish, Italian, British, French and American magicians presented their acts as magic regained popularity in the 1920's.

'Sawing a Woman in Half'

In 1921, the world first witnessed a magician saw a woman in half. British performer Percy Tibbles cut through a box containing his woman assistant. After the trick, she appeared without a harm.

This trick became even more complicated when the woman assistant was 'operated on' with her hands, head and feet in full view of the audience. The assistant was sawed in half using a power-driven saw, and was later restored without a scratch on her head.

'Reaching a Wider Audience'

Before, magicians only performed in theaters which were open to the public where food and drinks were offered but the magic tricks were performed
without any fee given by the viewers.

By the mid-1900's, they paved the doors for magicians to be 'professional performers' by requiring the public viewers to pay for watching magic shows.

In the 1950's, television was invented so magicians were able to reach an even wider audience spectrum.

During the 70's, Siegfried and Roy re-ignited the interest in magical tricks by making large animals disappear. David Copperfield is also a major player in the field of magicians who offered great entertainment to the viewing public.

Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and slight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! <a href="http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com" title="http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com" target="_blank">http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com</a>

Magic Tricks, The Life Of The Party
Have you ever been to a party that is totally dead? And did you wish that someone would come in the room and save the day? Did you maybe daydream that you could be that person and be an instant hero in a room full of beautiful babies? Well here's an idea that may just fulfill this fantasy for you at that next bomb of a party--why not try magic tricks?

That's right magic tricks! I'm not talking about the huge David Copperfield type illusions and shows. No just several amazing tricks that I have put together that can be done with household items (or items lying around at a party) that require no extra space or props or prep time.

When you think about it these are the most powerful kind of magic tricks anyway right? I mean you are instantly skeptical when you see magician Copperfield on TV doing his thing because its on TV and it is done with all sorts of special equipment and special camera angles. A total production that allows for so much to go on behind the scenes that it really doesn't have to be magical at all. More like special effects on a movie really.

On the other hand if you were to say pick up a deck of cards and quickly do 2 or 3 magic tricks without any prep or specially prepared deck then you would truly be magical wouldn't you. And I'm not talking about the 4 jacks in a house that's on fire or the 9 stacks of cards with the chosen card specially placed to come out on top. These are lame. I'm talking about cards levitating and disappearing and reappearing. That sounds magical and amazing and hero creating now doesn't it.

The cool part about these magic tricks is that they don't require anything more than several hours of practice perfecting techniques and more importantly the knowledge that makes selling the trick easy. This after all is the true skill of a magician. Making the unbelievable seem very ordinary and matter of fact for you.

This knowledge needs to cost something too when you think about it. If it were free than everyone would know how to do the magic tricks and they wouldn't be very magical anymore would they. So I don't feel bad for charging for my expertise. It both protects my livelihood and protects the art of magic.

Boyd Troublerr started doing <a href="http://www.learnmagictricks.info">magic tricks</a> when he was 12 years old. Now a master magician he loves to teach magic for the preservation of the art. Go to www.learnmagictricks.info.

A To Z Of Well-Known Magicians
There are many well-known, skilled magicians that you might not know about because even though they're well known, they haven't reached magician cult status. Most people know about the magician David Copperfield, but there are many more magicians equally skilled. So, take a moment to learn about other wizards of magic and expand your knowledge about magicians.

Curtis Adams: A magician who appeared at the age of 16 in the Young Magicians Showcase featured on Fox Television. He was born on October 12, 1984 and was one of the youngest magicians to perform in Reno, Nevada casinos.

Criss Angel: The only three-time magician winner of the Merlin Award from the International Society of Magicians. Angel is a skilled magician who did stunts like lying on a bed of nails while a Hummer drove over him.

Ed Balducci: A street magician who died in 1988 at the age of 82. He is a magician known for his gimmick-free trick of visibly rising several inches from the ground with his back turned to his audience.

Derren Brown: A British magician who practiced traditional close-up magic in the 1990s. Brown's claim as a magician is his "mind-reading" act. Brown claims aliens abducted him.

Cardini: Richard "Cardini" Pitchford was a magician with almost 50 years of performing tricks and illusions. He's one of the world's most imitated magicians, but no one to date has ever been able to completely duplicate his tricks. He was a magician known for his sleight of hand. Items were forever appearing and disappearing from his hands. He died in 1973.

Tommy Cooper: A magician and comedian known who was a member of the Magic Circle until his death in 1984. He collapsed while doing a live magician act that became his last.

Paul Daniels: A currently retired British magician who in 1983 became the first magician to ever receive the prestigious Magician of the Year Award by the Hollywood Academy of Magical Arts.

S.W. Erndase: A magician and author whose real identity has never been figured out. Erndase is a magician who wrote a book in 1902 about card playing tricks.

Ching Ling Foo: The first Asian magician to achieve fame. He was a magician who did tricks like breathing fire and pulling a fifteen-foot pole from his mouth. He died in 1922.

Lennart Green: A magician known for his close-up card tricks. In 1991 this magician became the world champion of in close-up card magic.

Paul Harris: A magician known for pulling coins from mirrors. Many claim he is a magician with skills like a combination of Copperfield and Henning.

Scott Interrante: An American magician specializing in escape-artist tricks. He won awards from the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Ricky Jay: A magician listed in the Guinness Book of Records as throwing a playing card 190 feet at 90 miles per hour.

Fred Kaps: A Dutch magician who died in 1980. He is a magician known for making a saltshaker create an endless supply of salt.

Juan Tamariz: A Spanish magician who in 1971 founded a school that has trained generations of Spanish magicians.

Dia Vernon: This Canadian magician was born in 1894 as David Frederick Wingfield Verner. This magician, who died in 1992, is known for fooling Houdini with one of his card tricks.

Paul Zenon: A British street magician who also performed in the bars and pubs in the U.K. This magician has written three books about magic, the most recent published in 2005.

Magic Magicians is an information site that contains articles, a directory and other <a href="http://www.magicmagicians.com/"> Magician Resources</a>. It can be found at: <a href="http://www.magicmagicians.com/">http://www.magicmagicians.com</a>

How Did They Do That? Types Of Magic Tricks
There are many kinds of magic tricks, but most fall into one of a few categories. Oftentimes, a magician will specialize in one or a few areas. For those who employ a range of techniques, they will often develop some type of persona or specialty act to differentiate themselves from other performers. Just as other entertainers often find a niche, so too do magicians.

While no type of magic is particularly easy, some types are common for beginning magicians, such as learning sleight of hand tricks. Most magicians know a core base of tricks, and then develop their particular repertoire from there.

Magic is based on illusion and mystery, and all types of magic tricks employ this mystery. This is what is so alluring about magic! Secrecy is of course another major element of magic. Practicing magicians are very selective about who they share their secrets with. People who work with magicians are often required to sign contracts stating they will not share the magician's secrets with anyone else.

What types of tricks do magicians perform? The following list is a basic overview of magic tricks that are commonly associated with the practice of magic.

Sleight of hand tricks are those that involve skilled hand movements where objects seem to appear and disappear in the hands of the performer. One of the oldest sleight of hand tricks originated in Ancient Egypt. In this trick, the performer hides balls under turned-over cups. As the performer moves the cups around, the balls change positions under the cups. The observers try to watch and guess where the balls will appear, but the magician fools them every time!

Sleight of hand tricks are used with a variety of objects, including card, coins, balls, and other objects. Some magicians have even used live animals. A magician skilled in sleight of hand can perform magic almost anytime, anywhere.

Illusions are those where the seemingly impossible becomes possible. Some of the better known illusion tricks include those where a woman is sawed in half and levitation tricks. Other illusions involve making people, animals, or objects reappear. David Copperfield, a modern-day magician, has made such large objects as the Statue of Liberty and a jet airplane disappear in front of live audiences.

Escape magic is just as it sounds. The most famous escape artist was Harry Houdini, who performed a number of daring escapes in front of large audiences in exotic locations. Suspended high in the air, Houdini would be handcuffed and placed inside locked or otherwise sealed containers and emerge moments later. Escape magic is intriguing not only because of the amazing feat, but also because of the danger involved.

Mentalists are another form of magicians who appear to read the minds of strangers. In front of live audiences, mentalists will recreate drawings done by audience members that are unseen to the magician, but visible to the audience. They will also read the minds of strangers and perform an array of amazing mental tricks. The mystery of the mentalist lies in the performance in front of a live audience. Some mentalists in modern times have even created tricks for television where they seem to read the minds of viewers!

How and where magicians perform varies a great deal as well. Street magic, close-up magic, and stage magic all offer amazing performances in vastly different settings. Street magic is as it sounds, performed outside and in the spur of the moment. Street magic often includes sleight of hand tricks, although a variety of magic is performed this way. One of the most famous current-day street magicians is David Blaine, who performs a wide range of card tricks, disappearing acts, and even levitation on the street.

Close-up magic is performed indoors or out, and often involves such things as card or coin tricks. It is performed just as it sounds--in close range. The audience is small, and the magician sits or stands in the middle, which adds to the allure--when people surround the magician, he or she has little room to "hide" anything. Additionally, when the audience is so close, one might assume the observers could easily see the magician's tricks--but this isn't the case!

Finally, stage magic is just as it sounds--magic performed onstage. These magic tricks date back in history to the 1700s, and are often very elaborate performances. Stage magicians offer an extensive range of tricks from sleight of hand to making large objects float or disappear. Oftentimes large animals are involved. There are a number of present-day famous stage magicians, including Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield, and Penn and Teller.

Magic Trick Facts is an information site that contains articles, a directory and other<a href="http://www.magictrickfacts.com/"> Magic Trick Resources</a>. It can be found at: <a href="http://www.magictrickfacts.com/">http://www.magictrickfacts.com</a>

10 Steps to become a magician
Have you ever thought about becoming a magician? I did, some ten years ago. I had seen this amazing magician on TV which really caught my attention! I just didn’t know anything about where to start. Back then, there was no such thing as internet â€" at least not in any form that I had access to. So I went to the local library, and got “Houdini’s book of magicâ€�. I went back home, thrilled to get started learning magic. I sat down at the kitchen table with my black hat, playing cards, coins, rubber bands and my magic wand. I was ready. I opened the book and skipped pages until I got to the first explanation. To my surprise I realized that the illustrations in the book were pictures of a guy also sitting by a kitchen table! This was not identical to my imaginary picture. I was pretty sure these guys were up on huge stages, putting females into boxes with the intention of sawing them in half. Not sitting in the kitchen, wrapping yesterday’s newspaper around a yellow ball, trying to make it look like he could push it through the table (which he, in my mind, didn’t succeed with). To tell the truth, I was disappointed. The same went for all the other tricks in the entire book. Furthermore, I had the same feeling with every magic book I looked up at the local library or any other library for that sake. Theses book just didn’t do it! I had heard rumors about this guy Houdini and I was sure that he was a fairly cool magician. A least I was sure he was doing more impressive stuff than what I could ever learn from this book! So once again, I was stuck. Then one day I went with my parents to this amusement park where there was a magic shop. They actually sold the tricks I had seen on TV, such as the linking rings etc. I spent all my savings on magic props. I had a thousand questions for the owner of the store, and probably because I was his best customer, he gave me some useful tips. I told him I was going to spend my holiday in London, and I asked if he could recommend any specific places to visit. He told me about this magic store called “International Magicâ€�, which had the exact things I was looking for. About one month later, my family and I went to London. A short while after checking in to our hotel, we were on our way to “International Magicâ€�. This was an amazing experience and I was hooked! A lady working there told me about a magic store in Denmark called “Peganiâ€�. When I got back home, I quickly became a loyal costumer at Pegani. The owner of this store, Steen Pegani, had all the information I needed. I became a member of a magic circle close to my home city Billund. I went to the world congress of magic, FISM, in Dresden. And here I am ten years later, still hooked! However, I found this process convoluted and slow. The Internet sure has made this a lot easier, for everyone seeking to learn magic. Still, if you are new in this area, I have a few tips you might find useful. 1: Read: What is the first thing you do, every time you want to know something about a new topic? The same thing you are doing right now. Read! Read as much about magic as you possible can get your hands on. Not just effects and the following explanation. Read about the history, about different magicians, the different styles of magic, anything. This will make everything afterwards easier and more exciting. 2: Choose your style: Decide if you are more into close-up magic, stage magic, illusions, Mentalism, etc. Why is this important? Well if you care about your money, this is probably the best tip I can give you! See when you get into magic, you will find a dozen of magic tricks, you just feel you really need to know how works. Just like when you see David Copperfield doing a show. How much would you be willing to pay to know the secret? Too much! I have spent too much money on different effects that are actually pretty cool, still I have never used them. Why? Because they just don’t fit my style. Pulling rabbits out of a black hat just doesn’t go along with card tricks. That’s it. 3: Get to know other magicians: This is the best way to keep yourself motivated. Seeing other magicians do magic, showing them your own tricks, getting feedback, learning new tricks, and so on. Socializing with magicians is the best. Besides, they are pretty much the only guys you can practice with! You cannot ask your friends to watch you perform a magic trick and give you feedback the same way you can ask a magician. Unless you are giving a very poor performance, your friends will not and should not have any clue what you really doing. 4: Get a mirror: If you don’t have any magic friends in the house, you’d better get hold of a mirror. This is the only way you can tell if you are doing well or not. This is your silent audience, which can always be trusted. If you are doing stage magic, you’d better get a big one. 5: Watch out when buying magic effects: You are on your way into a world of magic and expensive props! Sooner or later you are going to start shopping magical props. You will see the most amazing ads for different effects, and this stuff is not cheap. But watch out and don’t let yourself get caught by the promising ads. This is the only business I can think of, where the customer can’t be told what he’s buying before he has paid for it. Too often have I tried opening the package only to realize that this isn’t close to what I was hoping for. You will get a disappointing feeling, since you cannot argue that the effect description is incorrect, it just might not work very well in real life. 6: Buy books/DVD’s rather than pre-made effects: One way to learn new effects is to buy a pre-made trick where you typically get some plastic gadget and an explanation. One company known for these kinds of tricks is Tenyo. Most of these effects are somewhat automatic, so the magician can focus on the performance. However these tricks are about as un-magical as they possibly can be. The plastic makes them look and sound cheap. No matter how good a performance you give, it will be difficult to impress people with such a toy-looking peace of magic. However, it is still possible to buy cool packet effects. Recently I bought a trick called hopping half which I have been really pleased with. This is an amazing effect using quality precision made prop. It is expensive though. So my advice is to buy magic books and DVDs instead of these pre-made tricks. Here you will get a lot of cool effects, and often something you can do without spending a fortune on extra props. I plan to start writing reviews of magic books and DVDs which I recommend on my other blog, JakobRecommends. 7: Leans slights and make your own combinations: This advice is for people who are into close-up magic. After some time when you have spent all your money on magic stuff, you are going to wish you knew how to make up your own tricks. Making magical inventions is an interesting subject which I will write more about later. But basically it should not be that difficult. I find it specially easy with card tricks. So where do you start? Get to know as many different slights as possible. Double lift, pinky break, Elmsley count, faro shuffle, passes â€" there are many, so go ahead. If you are a beginner at magic with cards, I would recommend the books Card College written by Roberto Giobbi. These five books will take you through more than you can imagine! You will learn several different slights and tricks. If you are a bit more experienced, I would recommend books and DVDs by Allan Ackerman. This guy is one of my favorite magicians. Anyway, when you have learned a lot of different slights, it should not be too complicated to set up your own trick. 8: Join The Magic Café Forum: This is a must! Go to The Magic Cafe and sign up. This is probably the largest forum for magicians. It contains enough useful information to keep you busy for days! It is also a great place to get different opinions about the books or tricks you are about to buy, and you can get feedback on your own ideas. Get to know other magicians. Often they invite famous magicians in for some hours, and everyone can ask questions. This is a great place! 9: Give a regular visit to All Magic: Go to here and take a look for yourself. There is a lot of information. Among other things, they have a list of magic dealers from all over the world, trick explanations, reviews etc. Go check it out! 10: Go out and perform, to improve your self: So now what? You have learned a few tricks, and you just can’t wait to see people’s reaction! Well then go out and perform your trick! I always start out by showing the tricks to friends or relatives first. Just in case you are going to make a mistake, you won’t feel as bad, as if you showed it for someone you don’t know. Showing your tricks is absolutely the best way to improve yourself! Just thinking about failing makes you sweat - this is why an upcoming performance will make you practice your hands off! So there you have it. It is not the complete guide to becoming a true magician, but you will definitely be on the right way!

<p>My name is Jakob. I am a guy in the mid twenties, from Copenhagen, Denmark. This is my first attempt making <a href="http://www.jakobdk.com" target="_blank">a blog</a>. Besides from this Blog, Im currently working on two other projects, which you can find ,<a href="http://www.jakobrecommends.com" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.travellingexpandsthemind.com" target="_blank">here</a></p>