This week practice didnt go so well. Maybe I skipped this chapter when I first went through the book. Chapter 4: Card Controls has been an amazing pain in my butt. It starts off with a overhand shuffle control thats pretty easy considering I have been practicing some overhand shuffle techniques. Then it moves on to a "Whoops!" control thats pretty smooth and stalled me with a diagonal insertion right after it. Everything in this chapter is designed to bring a chosen card to the top of the deck or to give you a way to mark where it is. So it should be easy right? I spent 3 days on the Diagonal insertion controll before I finnaly got it right. For some reason my pinky kept forming a break under the card, not over the selected card. Thats if I did not end up pushing it flush with the deck and loosing it. I think my best bet is to keep practicing this chapter for another week after I reread it. After all, it's not like I am on a schedual. Last night I moved ahead and checked out the peek control. If I can get that down it will be a seriously great tool to have for close up card magic.
The other thing I ran into was the amount of time I have to practice. Normaly I sit down and run through everything in the book and I spend extra time on the ribbon spread. I noticed that I enjoy the false cuts so I spend extra time there also. Then I run through the "Spectator cuts to the Aces" and "Hat trick" tricks a few times. Of course I spend less time on the overhand shuffle since I think it looks out of place and the tricks for that chapter dont actually need it. Additionaly I spend time practicing fans, a riffle shuffle, and trying to make my dribble and card waterfall smooth. Since On Sunday and Monday I found myself running out of time. So all week I have been adjusting and tweaking how I practice. Running quickly over the moves that are clean while concentrating on those that need more practice has allowed me to spend extra time on the new chapter.
Two things bug me. The Overhand shuffle and calling card tricks "tricks". As for the overhand shuffle it just seems clunky and odd compaired to the normality of a riffle shuffle. For example in the "Spectator cuts to the Aces" you prearrange the deck then use the overhand shuffle to rearrange the order of the top four cards. If you have to start off with a prearranged deck then why do you need to rearrange it? Couldnt you just Set it up right and run a riffle shuffle that both looks normal and doesnt change the top and bottom stock of the deck? And do you need to shuffle the deck at all? Both the performer and the audience know there is a "trick" to what we do. Does it matter if we dont start off a routine with a card shuffle? That brings me to the second thing that bugs me. Calling card tricks "tricks". It has a bad ring to it. Like it is something dirty and mean. lets get the deffenition.
Pronunciation: \ˈtrik\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English trikke, from Anglo-French *trik, from trikier to deceive, cheat, from Vulgar Latin *triccare, alteration of Latin tricari to behave evasively, shuffle, from tricae complications, trifles
Date: 15th century
1 a : a crafty procedure or practice meant to deceive or defraud b : a mischievous act : c : an indiscreet or childish action d : a deceptive, dexterous, or ingenious feat; especially : one designed to puzzle or amuse 2 a : a habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner b : a characteristic and identifying feature c : a delusive appearance especially when caused by art or legerdemain : an optical illusion 3 a (1) : a quick or artful way of getting a result :(2) : an instance of getting a desired result b : a technical device (as of an art or craft) 4 : the cards played in one round of a card game often used as a scoring unit5 a : a turn of duty at the helm usually lasting for two hours b : 4b(1) c : a trip taken as part of one's employment d : a sexual act performed by a prostitute; also : 26 : an attractive child or woman
So some parts of this defenition work:
a mischievous act
a deceptive, dexterous, or ingenious feat; especially : one designed to puzzle or amuse
a delusive appearance especially when caused by art or legerdemain : an optical illusion
a quick or artful way of getting a result
Some parts sort of work:
a crafty procedure or practice meant to deceive or defraud
a habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner
an instance of getting a desired result
a technical device (as of an art or craft)
And some parts do not work for what we do:
an indiscreet or childish action
a characteristic and identifying feature
the cards played in one round of a card game often used as a scoring unit
a turn of duty at the helm usually lasting for two hours
a trip taken as part of one's employment
a sexual act performed by a prostitute
an attractive child or woman
It just seems like there has to be a better word or description for what we do as magicians. Does anyone know a better word or phrase that does not make it sound like a challenge to the audience? Really thats probly my issue. I dont want to compeat with a audience. I want to entertain a audience.
On to games. I am at the last part of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Hopefully this weekend I can finish it up. Normally thats the end of a games usefullness. But the challenges in this game could make it last much much longer. Next week Halo:odst comes out. I need to finish batman before then. And has anyone played Skribblenaughts? It looks really interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment