Learn Great Magic Tricks

FREE Magic Tricks eBook!

2006-07-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Easy Steps to Great Card Magic

I am giving away is a full eBook of more than 30 pages packed with card tricks and a lesson in sleight of hand.

This is part of a full course in easy sleight of hand card magic.

Do you want a full copy of the course FREE of charge?

Here's all you need to do:

Download a copy of the eBook.
Try out the lesson and tricks.
Write a testimonial about what you thought. Tell me that Ihave your permission to print the testimonial along with your nameand location.
Go to Learn Great Magic Tricks.
Send in your review using the Contact Us form.

That's it! You will be entered to win one of five free copies of the entire course. Winners will be announced in an upcoming issue of The Magic Way.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers

New Magic Contest!

2006-07-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

How would you like to earn some free magic?

I am starting a new magic review section on Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com and I need your help.

I am looking to get reviews on magic tricks, magic videos, and magic books. I want the real truth. I will publish the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I want to make it worth your time, so I am running a magic contest.

Check out the GRAND PRIZE and all of the details!

Magically yours,
J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

Great Magic Show in the Dells

2005-03-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

Doh! . . .

2005-03-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

I have often wondered if the love of magic is the result of a genetic defect. I was reminded of this again when read a news article about a magician in Pakistan.

The magician arrived in Pakistan ready to spread the good news about Christianity in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation. Digging through his bag of tricks for the perfect gospel effect, the magician could not find that one trick to win over "the natives."

The clever magician finally came up with the perfect gospel magic trick. He stood proudly before a crowd of devout Muslims. Out of his bag of magic tricks came the Quran. He tore it up before the outraged crowd. With a wave of his wand and Hocus Pocus . . . the magic happened. The Quran was restored. The intrepid magician walked out into the crowd for his well deserved applause.

He was promptly arrested. The charge is blasphemy through the destruction of the Quran. He is sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment. Do you think he will learn his lesson?

Read the story.

Magically Yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks

Becoming Keeper of the Alt.magic FAQ

2005-02-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

Jack Poulter the longtime “keeper” of the Alt.magic FAQ is turning over the reigns to me at the end of the month. I want to thank Jack for all of his time and effort he has expended to develop and maintain this wonderful FAQ.

The alt.magic FAQ is filled with great information. I will be releasing a set of pdf files containing the full updated text of the FAQ. I may make the text files available on my site as well. In any event, I will be sending the updated text files to several magic web sites that have agreed to maintain current copies of the alt.magic FAQ.

Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com is currently streaming the postings of Alt.magic on the site. If you don’t have access to a newsreader or are just curious about what is discussed there then feel free to check out alt.magic.

Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com will also be taking some of the best information from the FAQ and publish it on the site with full credit back to FAQ. There is some really neat magic information you might overlook in all of the material.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

Secret Webpage

2005-02-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Great News!

I just got permission to release information on a completely overlooked market for magic shows. The author of the article has many years of experience in both magic and this field.

When I read his article on creating a magic show for this field, my mouth hit the floor. It was so obvious after reading this article. This hidden field has been overlooked by professional magicians.

In this field there are people just begging to hire a magician and have the money to pay him well.

I have put up the article on my site. It will stay hidden. I will give my readers the secret URL in the February issue of The Magic Way the newsletter of Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks. If you have not signed up yet then do it right now. It's FREE:

The next issue will go out around February 15th. Don't miss this issue.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

New Magic Website Coming!

2005-02-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

Ed Williams at FunTyme Magic annonced a new magic site in his monthly newsletter.

It will be called: Make-Your-Own-Magic.com

The site is not up and running yet. It is going to be aimed at do-it-yourself and budget minded magicians. I will post more details later as it gets closer to launch.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers

Leran-Great-Magic-Tricks

Mike Bornstein's death

2005-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

I found out that Mike Bornstein has passed away at the ripe old age of 83. The New York Times has a wonderful little article about Mike and his magic.

He was a great character in the world of magic. That's quite a feat with all of the other characters in magic. He invented or improved many magic tricks. I never met him personally, but had spoke to him on the phone and enjoyed watching him on video.

He will be missed.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers

Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

Jim Pace Lecture

2005-01-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

I recently attended Jim Pace’s lecture at FunTyme Magic in Nashville, Indiana. It raised my hopes about the future of magic.

I get so tired of going to lectures where the magician gives no credit to effect he “invented.” As an aside, there is a one magic empire build from one man’s magic “inventions.” I won’t identify him because I don’t want him to get any more business.

Mr. Pace focused on tried and true magic tricks geared toward the restaurant or walk around magician. Not everything fits with my performing style, but it was one of the more interesting magic lectures that I have seen in a while. Often, the classic effects don’t need to be improved. That’s why they stand the test of time.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

Websites for Magicians

2005-01-21T08:31:00.001-08:00

I was approached by a magician at the Jim Pace lecture this week at Funtyme Magic. He asked me about using websites to book magic shows.

Most magicians don’t understand marketing on the web. This is even truer when it comes to selling services over the web.

Ken Envoy has a great course on selling services on the web. His main point is that you need to build a relationship with your potential customers. Content is king. The look and layout of your site is important too. You build trust and get business by providing people the information they are seeking.

Get a copy of Service Sellers Master Course. It’s free and the material is really good. He is selling a web hosting service. It’s really good but it is expensive.

Download and read the book. There is a ton of material that you can use on your own site today.

My upcoming column on marketing on the web for magicians will focus on this topic in more detail. If you want to learn more, sign up for the Funtyme Magic Newsletter.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

Magic Show Set-up

2005-01-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

I was reminded again this week about the importance of planning when setting up a magic show. I decided at the last minute to add an effect to the middle of the show. It looked set up and time was short so I just didn’t check closely. When it was time to do the effect it I realized it was not fully setup. I just skipped the effect and did the show as originally planned. It was fun and I didn’t miss a beat.

I am usually very careful about planning and setting up my show. I learned from my father, a pilot, that you should never get so comfortable with what you are doing that you don’t run through your checklist.

My checklist begins with pulling effects and supplies to a final double check right before show time. I am finishing a detailed article on the process I use when setting up my magic show. If you want to read it, sign up for my newsletter. The article will be in the next issue.

J.L. Siefers

Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks

New Magic Newsletter

2005-01-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

Just finished up the final edits on a new magic newsletter. The first issue will go out in February. Every issue will contain a magic trick, magic news, an article or review, and more.

It should come out monthly. My intention is to avoid being like the magic publications of the past: always late but always great. I hope it is just great

To find out more information and to sign up.

J.L Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks

Great Magic Video/eBook Set

2005-01-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

I just got a really wonderful magic video/eBook set. It is called Anywhere – Anytime Close-up Magic by Dan Turcotte. You get it at YourDoMagic.

The set consists of two DVDs and a CD-ROM. You will get:

* 64 Videos / 29 Routines / 3 Hours
* 27 Companion PDF eBooks 260 Pages

You get to watch Dan perform for real people in a restaurant setting. You even get to see Dan recover when a trick goes south. Dan has a good eye for strong effects. These are classic magic effects that have stood the test of time.

I like the set because the material is presented in both video and eBook form. Dan has taken the advantages of both medium and presented the material so anyone interested in magic can learn it. This is a well produced set of DVDs and eBooks. Dan clearly took the time to do it right.

Dan is very careful to credit where he got his material. It is clear after watching the videos and reading the eBooks that Dan is a true student of magic.

Get this set. You will be glad you did.

You will need to practice most of the magic taught. You will not learn to be a restaurant magician twenty minutes after viewing the videos. Take the time and learn to do some great magic tricks. I recommend this magic video set to anyone interested in magic. Even old pros will learn something.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn Great Magic Tricks

Why do magicians wear tuxes?

2004-12-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

By J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

This wonderful question has rarely bothered magicians for decades. It should. Some possible answers might include:

He is getting married today.
He just got off work as a waiter.
He is going to the prom.

Wait! The man is about to do magic. Surely anyone doing great magic wears a tux. It logically follows that a person dressed in attire not worn generally by the public in nearly sixty years must be a well trained and entertaining artist.

I encounter responses such as:

“People won’t know we’re magicians if don’t wear our uniform,” bemoan penguin-like prestidigitators.

“Real magicians must wear tuxes,” cries the part-time professional in his ill fitted and second hand attire.

The question of what magicians should wear has been around for more than a century. The correct answer has been around just as long. Unfortunately, many magicians don’t get it.

Jean Robert-Houdin, the father of modern magic, looked around at how his fellow magicians dressed. The common uniform for a “real magician” was to dress up like a wizard complete with a conical hat. Robert-Houdin chose to view magic as an art. He devised many wonderful effects. He would go out on a bare stage to present his magic dressed in formal evening attire. The attire was appropriate and commonly worn for evening theatrical productions. Instead of dressing in way completely different from his audience, Robert-Houdin dressed just like his audience.

The point being made is simple. If you want magic to be viewed as a fine art, take your performance and dress seriously. Let the quality of your magic performance speak to the level of your magic artistry. If you want to be a magic clown, then dress like a penguin.

What about Lance Burton? Great question, thanks for asking. Lance’s performing personality makes wearing a tuxedo appropriate for his performance. Mr. Burton consciously links back to magic’s historical roots. Figuratively speaking, he wears the mantel of magic passed down through the ages. He portrays the great magician out of our past. Lance performs classical magic effects while donning the classical magical attire.

This is completely different from the approach of 99.998% of the other magicians wearing tuxes. Most part-time professional magicians wear a tux without regard to their performing personality. The key to what to wear is your performing personality. Begin with the assumption that a tux is not an option. Examine the key elements of your performing personality that you want to communicate to your audience. Tailor your dress to consciously communicate those key elements.

Another factor to consider is whether you want to stand out or blend with your audience. Let’s say you want to blend with your audience. This is common approach for the restaurant or corporate magician. What will your audience be wearing? Try to dress a little above your audience. Let’s say you want to stand out. Find ways to contrast with your audience that communicates positively to your performing personality. For example, assume your performing personality is that odd middle aged uncle that all the kids love but make parent roll their eyes. You know the type, every family has one. His style sense will be decades out of style but he will be clueless that he isn’t the hippest guy around. If that is your chosen performing personality, then the performer’s style will match the outfit. The point again is that the outfit chosen by the magician must relate to performing personality.

Let’s get back to the original question. Why do magicians wear tuxes? Nobody knows including the magicians. Know your performing personality. Select your dress to complement your venue and performing personality. Treat your magic performance like the artistic performance you want it to be.

Performing magic for kids

2004-12-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

By J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com

You have just discovered the wonderful world of magic. Trip after trip to the magic shop has added to your ever growing arsenal of magic tricks. Thirty-three days later the credit card bills arrive to remind your wife that this IS an expensive hobby.

No problem! You will make back all of the money you’ve spent and more by becoming a part-time professional magician. Looking around for places to hone your craft, you suddenly remember that you niece has a seventh birthday coming up. You call you sister and offer your services in lieu of a gift.

Two weeks later the performance time arrives. You pack all of your “A” material into two large cardboard boxes. You start the show for sixteen first graders and all of your relatives. The show goes well. Everybody is laughing and having a good time. You take some theatrical pauses to build suspense as you search your boxes for the next great trick. Finally, your fifteen minute show concludes after fifty-three minutes. You never realized you had that much great magic. The kids cheer and applaud for your debut magic show. Even your sister, wiping the tears from her eyes, says, “I have never had more fun than I did watching your magic show. It was great. John got it all on tape.”

This is how many part-time professional magicians attempt to begin their career. They look around and decided that doing kid shows is the best way to start. Performing magic for kids is one of the most difficult areas of magic to do well. This article explores some of the challenges of performing children’s magic.

You are training children

Children don’t understand many of the common cues in a live performance. Most children are raised in the age of television. Not a bad thing, except the laugh tracks prompt the children when to laugh. No laugh tracks and the children are left out in the cold. They are quick and will get up to speed in no time. But they need your help.

The same issue is even more problematic with applause. Children are not used to clapping. They don’t understand applause cues. Those wonderfully timed applause cues will leave you and your audience with a lot of uncomfortable silence.

What can be done? Everything. One of your most important tasks as a children’s magician is your opening. The beginning of your show must do four things:

Establish audience control
Teach the children to react to applause cues
Set the tone for the show
Introduce your performing personality

The audience needs to be warmed up prior to your magic show. It seems hokey and a waste of time, but it can make the difference between a great magic show and a horrible one.

Children love to have fun. Even in school children are taught to obey those in authority. For some reason, many magicians forget to establish authority early in the show. The result resembles a saloon brawl in the wild west.

When you step out for the start of your show, you have the perfect opportunity to establish the ground rules for the show. I don’t mean that you should bring out a list of house rules for the show. Instead come out with confidence and warm up your audience.

After you welcome everyone to the show, look out over the audience and say, ”This looks like a really great crowd. Let’s see how loud you can clap. On the count of three ONE. . . TWO . . THREE . .Not bad! Let’s try it again. On three . . .” After some byplay conclude by saying, ”What do we do when we like the magic? (pause) What do we do when we LOVE the magic?” (pause and react strongly to the crowd)

Four things are being done by that warm up. You have taught the children to clap when they like the magic. It also trains them to react to the applause cues in the rest of the show. The warm up establishes that you are in control for this show. Finally, it sets a fun tone for the show. This is the first time your audience gets a sense of your performing personality.

You are not performing for the kids

You will learn quickly that the most difficult task facing the children’s performer is to design the show to appeal to children and adults at the same time and at different levels. No I don’t mean filling your performance with phrases that have sexual double meanings. Nothing is more pathetic and unprofessional than the performer that gets a child on stage and slyly eyes the adults in the crowd and says “Do I have a big magic wand or what? “

Children’s cartoons provide the best examples of the point I am trying to make. Take Loony Toons or Spongebob Squarepants for example. These cartoons work for children and adults on different levels at the same time. This is what you must achieve to be a successful children’s magician

This is very difficult thing to pull off. This is one of the main reasons that doing children’s magic is so difficult. You must DESIGN your show for both audiences. One key to the show design is your performing personality.

You are not yourself today

When you perform magic for children, you must have a distinctive and appealing performing personality. Long gone are the days when the children’s magician can come out on stage in a second hand tux and wow his audience with a formal magic show. Look at Silly Billy, one of the most successful children’s magicians. His performing personality is fun and engaging. His show tone is fast paced and humorous.

Even beyond children’s magic, examine the performing personalities of children’s television. Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rodgers, and Peewee Herman are examples of compelling performing personalities. Each one was successful, yet, had very different performing personalities. The common factor was that each performer engaged children through fun.

Your performing personality must engage you audience, children and adults, with fun and wonderment. You must draw your audience into the show by your performing personality, but you must wow them with a well designed show that delivers great magic. This is why doing children’s magic is so tough.

If you want to start your career in magic as a children’s magician, think again. Kids are brutally honest. There is nothing tougher or more satisfying than have a great children’s magic show. Being a children’s magician is not the best way to become a part-time professional magician.

Interesting Site

2004-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

I know about an interesting site you should check out. It is called Magic-Trick-Demos. You can find it http://www.magic-trick-demos.com/

The site is brand new. I only found one demo on it. It has great potential. I will be checking back often to see what happens. The design scheme is really funky. It reminds me of the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo.

Let me know of any unusual magic related websites.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers

http://www.learn-great-magic-tricks.com/

"Read my honest review of Cellini's latest magic DVDs."

2004-12-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

The Art of Street Performing by Cellini (Magic DVDs)

Reviewed by J. L. Siefers

Cellini Presents: The Art of Street Performing Volume 1

Format: DVD
Length: 57 minutes
Publisher: Magicman1234 Productions
Cost: $59.95

Cellini Presents: The Art of Street Performing Volume 2

Format: DVD
Length: 1 hour 25 minutes
Publisher: Magicman1234 Productions
Cost: $59.95

Cellini Presents: The Art of Street Performing Volume 3

Fromat: DVD
Length: 1 hour 42 minutes
Publisher: Magicman1234 Productions
Cost: $59.95

This set of DVDs is a constant source of consternation to me.

This is how Cellini talks about Volume 1:

"This video will do much more than entertain you. It will enlighten you and excite you. It can even change the course of your life. I have tried my best to explain this illusive art. You will learn how to attract,build, hold and entertain an audience, while making a good living. Those I have influenced found themselves transformed by the experience in ways they never imagined. All the secrets are here... it's up to you. It could change your life forever. It did mine!"

- Cellini

From that blurb, I spent my hard earned money to get the first volume. I was excited as I put the DVD into the player. I was going to see Cellini spill his guts about ALL of the secrets he had learned from decades of street performing. I sat on my couch, popcorn in hand, ready to be influenced and transformed by Cellini's sage advice.

A mere 57 minutes later, I was stunned. At twice the cost and half the length of a regular magic DVD, I mistakenly thought Cellini might perform in this video. Wrong. Cellini introduces various concepts of street performing, such as gathering a crowd. Other performers demonstrate the point Cellini is making.

I was mad and felt cheated. I put the DVD away for months. However I came back to it. After watching it again, I changed my mind. The material is good.

Several important aspects of street performing are taught and demonstrated. The DVD is expensive and short. However, if your are considering performing street magic, then you will more than get your money from the ideas you will learn from this video. Volume 1 is not at all what I expected, but it is good.

Volume 2 is everything I expected and more. I recommend this video to every magician.

Cellini’s work on the thumbtip alone is worth the price of admission. This is how the thumbtip should be used. Get out your old thumbtip and start to do some stunning magic. You might even fool other magicians!

You will also see classic and clean approaches to rope magic and the cups and balls trick. This is exactly what I had hoped to see in Volume 1.

Volume 3 is directed at the art and craft of street performing. Very good material if street magic is your thing. There are many tips and ideas given. The live performances are good as well.

Recommendation:

Buy the whole set if you have any interest on the art and craft of street performing. It is expensive, but the material given is the real deal. It is a bargain compared to the tuition at the School of Hard Knocks.

Every magician should buy and watch Volume 2. This is a great example of what magic can and should be.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks

Welcome

2004-12-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Learn Great Magic Tricks blog. This is where I let you in on information and secrets that will make magicians go nuts.

Magically yours,

J.L. Siefers
Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks