Magic is a great skill to learn.
If you can perform a few magic tricks, people will remember you better because you have a relatively unusual skill.
For anybody new to magic, in order to become proficient, it is important that you learn two skills: It is important to learn how to master tricks that involve technical skill, since anybody who wants to do anything more than one or two party tricks is going to have to master the skills of sleight-of-hand in order to progress.
It is however, equally or arguable more important that you learn to be comfortable performing in front of an audience since, as a performer, that is your place of work.
Many magicians concentrate too much on the first skill and then find themselves unable to comfortably perform in front of an audience.
In order to learn both of these skills, you need to start with magic tricks that require no technical skill.
There are plenty of self-working magic tricks out there on the market.
Some of them use gimmicks and gaffs and others work by themselves because of mathematics.
By performing these tricks, you'll learn some of the most important skills a magician can learn.
Because you don't have to focus on making the tricks work so much, you can concentrate on presentation.
While you are performing these tricks to your friends and family and even strangers if you want, you can spend time learning the basics of sleight-of-hand, either with cards or coins, or if you are really enthusiastic, both.
When learning sleight-of-hand, you must first know what the move is intended to achieve, then you must work out a way for your hands to do it.
You must master the move well enough so that you can do it without thinking about it, so that you can, during performance concentrate on presentation.
This is called muscle reading and it takes serious time.
While it can be difficult to resist, rushing into performance before you are ready is not something you really want to do.
Finally, when you can meet the technical requirements of performing a trick, rehearse it time and again.
This means, run through it as you would in performance, completely, as if you were in performance.
This will allow you to learn how to overcome any difficulties that might occur during performance.
When you go in front of an audience, everything you have to do should be second nature.
You know you have rehearsed enough when this is the case.
So in summary:
If you can perform a few magic tricks, people will remember you better because you have a relatively unusual skill.
For anybody new to magic, in order to become proficient, it is important that you learn two skills: It is important to learn how to master tricks that involve technical skill, since anybody who wants to do anything more than one or two party tricks is going to have to master the skills of sleight-of-hand in order to progress.
It is however, equally or arguable more important that you learn to be comfortable performing in front of an audience since, as a performer, that is your place of work.
Many magicians concentrate too much on the first skill and then find themselves unable to comfortably perform in front of an audience.
In order to learn both of these skills, you need to start with magic tricks that require no technical skill.
There are plenty of self-working magic tricks out there on the market.
Some of them use gimmicks and gaffs and others work by themselves because of mathematics.
By performing these tricks, you'll learn some of the most important skills a magician can learn.
Because you don't have to focus on making the tricks work so much, you can concentrate on presentation.
While you are performing these tricks to your friends and family and even strangers if you want, you can spend time learning the basics of sleight-of-hand, either with cards or coins, or if you are really enthusiastic, both.
When learning sleight-of-hand, you must first know what the move is intended to achieve, then you must work out a way for your hands to do it.
You must master the move well enough so that you can do it without thinking about it, so that you can, during performance concentrate on presentation.
This is called muscle reading and it takes serious time.
While it can be difficult to resist, rushing into performance before you are ready is not something you really want to do.
Finally, when you can meet the technical requirements of performing a trick, rehearse it time and again.
This means, run through it as you would in performance, completely, as if you were in performance.
This will allow you to learn how to overcome any difficulties that might occur during performance.
When you go in front of an audience, everything you have to do should be second nature.
You know you have rehearsed enough when this is the case.
So in summary:
- Aim to learn both the technical skills of sleight-of-hand as well as the performing and presentation skills that you need to make your magic entertaining and compelling.
- Start with self-working magic tricks to build up your confidence and get comfortable in front of an audience.
- Learn sleight-of-hand by muscle learning the moves and learning well enough that you can do the moves without thinking.
- Fully rehearse every trick before you go in front of an audience.