Saturday

5 Tips on Card Magic for Beginners

All of the finest card magic books follow a pattern in teaching sleight of hand for beginners. First they teach the terminology and the technical terms to define card sleights.
They start by teaching the different grips or ways to hold the cards. Women and young children have smaller hands therefore they should use bridge size cards.
1. The overhand and false shuffle : This is usually the first sleight taught. You must learn how to control the cards. I personally believe that it is easier and better for the beginner to focus on self-working card magic in the beginning so that they can get some effects that they can perform.
The next thing is the false cuts also known as blind cuts. The glimpse is a good sleight to learn next because sometimes the spectator will ask to shuffle the cards.
Forcing cards is a method for making the spectator select the card that you want them to, even though they believe that it was a free choice.
2. Palming cards: In magician's terminology means to take a card or cards and hold it concealed there without it's presence being suspected by the audience. The principle is an important one in card magic. Many of the finest feats possible depend on it.
The best methods of palming cards are not difficult to do. The reasons that palming is neglected or badly done by cardmen are:
a. Bad misdirection
b. Lack of confidence
The first thing a beginner might say is that their hands are too small, this is usually an excuse for not practicing enough or practicing wrong techniques. If your hands really are too small then use smaller cards as stated earlier like the bridge size.
3. Double-lifts: When used deceptively, naturally and in moderation this fundamental sleight is very useful. Unfortunately any card men do it badly and far too often. We would caution the student first to learn to execute the sleight perfectly and then to use it sparingly and discreetly.
As the name implies, the sleight consist of secretly lifting two cards as one, turning them face downwards again. The cards should be squared together perfectly. They should not be handled like a brick. Make it look natural.
4. The Pass: The first exposition of the principles of card magic was published in 1769 by the french writer Guyot, and it was he who first laid down the dictum that master of the pass is the first requisite of the art of conjuring with cards.
The pass is a very difficult sleight to master. The principal use of the pass is to secretly bring a chosen card from the middle of the pack to the top, or vice versa.
5. Top Change: There is no other sleight in all conjuring with cards which will give you so much pleasure as this. More than any other sleight, it lends itself to proper misdirection, improvisation, the delightful ad-libbing. This is one way to have a lot of fun with cards. This creates more of a battle of wits and so much laughter.. You can really engage your audience with this method.
To exchange one card for another boldly and under the noses of those who watch, without being detected, is a sweet triumph! It is also good entertainment.
This sleight is difficult to perfect and requires a lot of practice,understanding and timing.

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