Nowadays we call it Street Magic.  Street magic is really close up magic, but it’s been made so popular by magicians such as David Blaine who literally performs his magic “on the street”, that close-up magic has taken on this new name.  So what is close-up magic, and why is it so popular?

Close-up magic is any magic trick that you can do right in front of someone.  No further away than a yard.  And usually much closer than that, like right in someone’s face.  And the reason it’s so popular is that because of the spectator being right on top of the trick, and most of the time they are even involved in the trick, or at least an item that belongs to them, the magic appears miraculous!

On a big stage, there is a part of us that could believe that a magic trick is because of a “special effect”.  But in close-up magic, there is no explanation, no special effect, no assistant, no fancy props or gimmicks.  It’s just you and the coin, or you and the card, etc.  A good close-up magician can really perform the impossible.  And in the intimate setting, or one-on-one setting, the spectator feels special.  Like the trick is being done just for them.  No wonder why it’s so popular.

All magicians who are starting out can do themselves a service to start mastering close-up before anything else.  This requires the magician to get very good at all the skills necessary to being a successful magician; misdirection, sleight of hand, creative patter, generating rapport, and using everyday props to make the magic happen.

And who knows, you may fall so in love with close-up magic that you decide to make a career out of it.  Many magicians have.  Why not you?

Cards, coins, flying doves, jumping rabbits are all part of magic. These many items are used as tools for a magic act. While most of the items that are used in magic acts are beyond the scope of new magicians there are others that can be used. For the new magician free magic tricks are especially useful to have in your selection of magic.

These different types of free magic tricks are one that anyone who is interested in doing magic can try. The tools of the trade will be basic items that you can easily find and buy. You may want to try your hand at the very easy magic tricks to begin with. These free magic tricks will be the ones that you can perform with cards and coins.

To perform one of these many different free magic tricks the first step you will need to follow is to know the magic trick you will be trying out. The best way to accomplish this task is to find a book of magic tricks. These books are available at your local library, at various book stores and you can even find some on the internet.

Once you have found what steps are required to perform the tricks you should practice at least one until you can execute the trick flawlessly. To make these different free magic tricks that you are working on look fabulous there are various atmospheric tricks that you can use.

These are part of the showmanship that captures the interest of people. Once their interest has been caught you will leave them wondering how you performed your trick. The best types of free magic tricks will show you all of the hidden secrets that need to be done for the trick to work successfully.

Some of these tricks are well know card tricks that many magicians have done. If you can pull these tricks off without your guests knowing what has happened then you can call the trick successful.

The many different free magic spells that you can try does not have to be contained only to the sphere of magic acts. These free magic tricks can be ones that you do for reason of personal well being. As magic can be used in different ways the magic tricks can be used in these ways too.

Magic is one aspect of life that we thoroughly enjoy. The many different spells and magic tricks that are known to have been used throughout history keeps magic alive in our minds. For people who don’t have any gift in magic free magic tricks are great ways to experience the wonder of magic.

Are your kids getting a little bored here at the end of the summer? It’s about this time that kids are a little restless…they have done everything that can do with their summer but it’s not quite time to go back to school. How many times this week have you heard from your kids…”I’m bored! There’s nothing to do!”? Ugh…if you are tired of hearing this, throw a little curve ball their way and teach them a couple of easy magic tricks that they can play with and actually learn how to go and wow their friends. Here is the first one….

Three Magic Coins. Kids love this one, they can’t wrap their brain around it, and yet it’s so easy to teach them. Once they know how it’s done, they will be thrilled to go try it on their friends. This one is for older kids. Here’s how it works: palm a coin in your right hand, with the head side up, it doesn’t matter which coin you use. Now hold out your left hand and tell your children “I have 3 magic coins, a dime, a nickel, and a penny”. Make sure one of the coins you say is actually the coin palmed in your right hand. Now with your right hand, pretend to lay the 3 coins in your left palm. Now ask them to pick one! If they actually say the one you have palmed, perfect. If they say another one, ask them if they want to keep it, or give it to you? Proceed with whatever their response it. Ask them to chose another one, and proceed as above, until they say the one that you have palmed. Once they do ask them to take that coin (it’s pretend at this point) and throw it in the air, and call it Heads or Tails. When they call it, grab the “coin” out of the air with your right hand.

Now, if they said Heads…open your right palm and reveal the coin to your spectator with the heads up. If they said Tails…before revealing the coin, place is on the top of your left hand, and then gently remove your right hand, showing their chosen coin with the Tails up. Trust me, they will go crazy! They will inevitably ask you to do the trick again, which you must refuse. Just ask them if they want to learn it….teach it to them and then go take a nap for a few hours while they wrestle with it on their own!

As you already know, when you are a budding magician it is critical that you practice, practice, practice.  Having a full range of tricks makes you more employable, and also more versatile.  Here are a few new ideas for some tricks that are classics, and every magician should have these under his or her belt.  As long as you practice them to perfection, they work every time!

First, the Brainwave Deck, is a card trick where you arrange your cards in a fan face down on a table before having your spectator chose.  He or she shows the chosen card to his audience.  You shuffle the cards and the selected card will turn face up in the deck, and the audience goes wild.

Dime and Penny.  For this trick you need one of each.  Then magically turns the dime into a penny.  You have to be extremely fast to execute this trick.  There is another variation on this trick that teenagers and children just love, and that is changing an ordinary piece of paper into money.

Next, there is the Stripper Deck Bicycle technique. This technique gives the magician the ability to select which card was selected by a member of the audience.  And better yet they can split the deck, red and black.

Lastly, a great one to learn is the Stick-O-Bill trick which is very popular.  This is where the magician borrows a bill from the audience and pokes a sharp pencil through the center.  He or she removes the pencil and shows the hole in the center.  When the bill is returned to the spectator, it is restored!

Add these classics to your repertoire and you find how impressive they are.

As a budding magician it is important to realize that your show doesn’t depend on your skills and talents alone to make it great.  Even the greatest illusionists have to depend on quality props to make their magic happen.  Your props can make or break your show.

Quality props are critical to having your audience believe something incredible just happened.  Defective props can spoil even the greatest magician’s reputation.  Here are some tips when it comes to buying and preserving your props.

First off, you must know your tricks!  Know exactly what you need and when.  Some magician’s like to wing it, and this doesn’t contribute to your overall confidence as a performer.  Make a list of all the props you need for a show and make sure you pack them all.

Next, when at all possible, do not use trick coins or cards.  Mastering tricks using everyday items, such as coins borrowed from a spectator, play the best.  If you use your own coins, the audience will suspect that somehow they are “magic” coins and have been altered in someway.  With some card tricks you must have a special deck to perform, but there are hundreds of card tricks that you can perform using a regular deck.  Get comfortable with these.

Let’s face it magic props are expensive.  If you have done any shopping at a magic store or online, then you know that quality props are pricey.  So take care of your props.  Maintaining them will have them lasting you throughout your whole career and this will save you money.  Also don’t skimp on quality.  You get what you pay for in most cases, so view this as an investment in your career and future.  Unpacking your props after each show and putting them in a safe place will extend the life of your props.  Also, keep them away from any harsh chemicals or products, and out of direct sun or extreme temperatures.

Finally, make sure to inspect your props at the store before you buy them.  Make sure everything is in tact, no loose or missing parts, and have the store clerk do a trick with them to make sure they are solid.

Steve Haynes’ Hand Out 500 starts off like all the other wonderful versions of Pat Page’s easy money; you display four or five single dollar bills, then in a flash, the ones visibly change into hundreds.

The Big Handout Happiness is that you can now immediately hand out all of the hundreds for examination!

If you’ve performed other versions, you’ve probably heard that little voice in your head saying “Boy, it sure would be sweet to hand out all the hundreds at the end and not have to deal with hanging onto that thick gaffed bill.”

With Haynes’ Hand Out 500, that little voice is joyously silent as you naturally and cleanly hand out all the hundreds to your spectator! No palming, no pulls, no complicated moves. The audience simply sees you change the ones into hundreds and place them onto the spectator’s hand. All of the hundreds are completely normal… so there’s nothing to find but pure astonishment!

Even with the glorious hand-out ending, Steve’s radically new gimmick would still make this the bill change of choice.

Hand Out 500 is actually easier and safer to handle than previous versions. There are no bad angles. You never have to worry about your audience seeing any extra thickness!

And for the final big hunk of Haynes’ Hand-Out Happiness: Because of the unique construction of the gimmick, you save hundreds of dollars in gaffed bills. It’s a whole new approach to easy money.

The first real game changer for bill changers! BONUS EFFECT: An ingenious signed card to wallet using an altered Hand Out 500 gimmick.

DVD includes special materials for making the gimmick with your own bills of any denomination in any currency!

Click here to watch the video!

Found your favorite magician yet?  Here’s a few more to choose from…

Penn & Teller are equally entertaining as comedians!  They are known as the “bad boys of magic”.  They like to perform gory tricks and pranks.  They have also revealed many “behind the scenes” stunts like in their shows exposing magic secrets.  They are a hit mainly due to their “act” which they have created utilizing each of their strengths.

Jeff McBride is unique, and is a respected teacher in the art of magic.  He likes to bring in myth, drama and illusion into his performance.

Gerry McCambridge is a mentalist with his own Las Vegas show called “The Mentalist”.  He claims that he promises to “screw with your mind” during his shows.  And he does very well.  He has also been featured on Late Night with David Letterman, and The Today show.

Siegfried & Roy are perhaps the most well known magicians of our time.  Perhaps due to an unfortunate accident that occurred with one of their big cats, which they are famous for.  But even before the accident, their show was once ruled as Las Vegas most successful show in decades.  It is estimated that they have performed for 25 million people.  Now that’s success.

Whether you enjoy and perform the more low key magic or you are in to completely blowing away audiences with your ridiculously amazing illusions, these magicians are worth seeing and learning from whenever you get the chance.

Many magicians have thrilled audiences all over the world for many years.  Research shows that there are a handful who have really hit the big time and this is a tribute to them.  Who’s your favorite?

David Copperfield is the most popular and richest magician.  In fact he ranks among the wealthiest of all entertainers.  He has touched millions through his television shows as well as live tours.  If you’ve ever seen his show, it’s amazing how “down to earth” he is for presenting such a grand show.

Doug Henning was the best-known magician in the world during the 70’s and 80’s.  Many think that because of him, magic as an art form really made a comeback during this time.  Sadly, he died too early at the age of 52.  He remains in our hearts as one of the best of the best.

David Blaine is best known for his “street magic” and his incredible and well marketed physical stunts.  He has quickly become one of the most recognizable faces of magic.

Lance Burton is so well liked that he has a theatre built specifically for him in Las Vegas.  He is under a 13-year contract with the Monte Carlo, which is the longest entertainment contract in Las Vegas history.  WOW!

Criss Angel has his own A&E television show “Mindfreak” of which he is the creator and star.  He decided to bring his art to the masses and that’s exactly what he does.  He also star in the Cirque de Soleil production of “Criss Angel: Believe” in Las Vegas.  Who wouldn’t want to be him?

Franz Harary has become famous for his large, impressive illusions such as vanishing the Space Shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center.  He is in constant demand worldwide.

More Best of the Best in our next post…..

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