How to Learn Magic

I am occasionally asked how I learned magic, or where I find magic tricks to perform.  How does one go about learning magic?

My very first magic trick (I didn’t think of it as that at the time) was a card trick that my friend Jim showed me when we were both kids.  It used a principle that is common in card tricks and that I still use occasionally.

My next experience with magic was in graduate school.  That was the first magic show I had ever seen, put on by another student.  The only trick I remember was the Phanto Tube, but it blew me away.  When I began performing, that was one of the early tricks I learned.  It is an old magical standard, and is one of my standard tricks in birthday parties and preschool shows.

After graduate school, I became friends with my children’s elementary principal.  His name was Ron and we used to play chess together.  I told him that I hoped to take up magic someday and if I ever did I would be glad to do an assembly.  One day he called and asked if I had ever done that – he would like to have me do an assembly.  I told him I would be there, then went to the magic shop in Des Moines, bought tricks and began to learn.  In those first shows, I did a little chemical magic as well.

The pattern continued over the years.  I would go to The Secret Magic and Joke Shop in Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines, Iowa.  Jerry would demonstrate tricks and I would think about what effects I wanted to perform.

An excellent way to learn magic is to see someone else demonstrate a powerful effect, then learn that trick.  That is the model I use when I go to Farmer’s Markets.  I perform generally, but I also demonstrate the magic tricks I am selling.  When someone buys a trick, I take them aside and show them the secret and how to perform the trick.  Of course, instructions are included with each trick, but magic is a visual art, and it helps to see it done, then to see how to do it.

At magic shops (there are several in the Chicago area), staff are generally happy to demonstrate various tricks and effects.  Remember, though, magic stores sell the secret.  You will not be shown how something works until you buy it.

A new twist on the “watch it done” principle comes from online.  Magic stores often have videos demonstrating various items.  Or performances of various magic tricks and effects can be found on You Tube.  And DVDs may be purchased that show various effects and how to do them.  Of course, in the case of the DVDs, you must purchase them to see how a trick is done, but you will know ahead the types of tricks that are featured.

Once one is started in magic, another way to learn magic and an excellent value is a magic book.  Early on, I began collecting magic books.  Where one trick (such as you will find in the Magic Shop on this site) may cost anywhere from a couple of dollars to $6.00 or more, a book may give you several tricks.  The booklets that I sell for $3.00 contain 50 tricks each.  There is no equipment provided, but generally common items are used.  In more advanced books, special items may be referenced that can be found at magic stores or magic shops online.

There are some books that constitute an entire course in magic.  While a little more expensive, these books are excellent values and valuable resources as one continues to learn and grow in the art.  I have built props and devised my own tricks from instructions in books.  Comprehensive books or sets of books are also good ways to find different ways of doing the same effect.

Of course, another way to learn is to take magic lessons.  One may take ongoing lessons, much like music lessons.  Or one may take a few lessons, then continue learning on one’s own with the purchase of individual tricks and effects, books, and DVDs.  Lessons are a good way to start.  They are also a good way to make the most of a magic set if you are new to magic.

Another way to learn magic is to join a magic club.  At a magic club, magicians share tricks back and forth, helping one another learn new material.  When you join, you generally will need to perform for the group.  You will not be expected to wow old pros; they just want to know that you are serious about magic.  Do some basic, simple things that show that you really are a magician.

One last way to get started in magic for children is to have me perform at a birthday party.  When I do that, I bring a small bag of magic tricks for the birthday child.  If time permits, I include a complimentary lesson on how to use the tricks in the bag.   This combines the watch it done and learn principle above.  It also includes a show which, in addition to bring fun to the occasion, also can inspire the child to want to learn.