Types of close up magic
Close up magic tricks can be broken down into a number of different types. For example close up magic on a table is know as table top magic. This normally involves some props like the ever famous Cups and Balls. However there are two other kinds of close up magic that can be done virtually anywhere and although some of the tricks that can be done in close up magic require some setting up the majority do not. So lets get to what I would consider to best types of close up magic.
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Card Magic
As stated above card tricks can be done by preforming a variety of different techniques most of which can be covered in the same group and this is called sleights. Sleights are done by the magician with the intention that the audience will not see what he or she is doing. To get this result you need to practice over and over again. Many books will tell you that you should preform the trick or sleight that you are trying to master in front of the mirror. This is definitely the best place to begin the next step in my opinion is to preform it in front of people that you are comfortable with like friends or family then ask them for advise. This way you will know if the trick is good enough to bring to a bigger audience. But before any of this you need to know some of the techniques which are outlined bellow.
Lifts: Used to take cards from the deck which are normally known to the audience.
Passes: This is where a spectators card is returned to the deck and after some manipulation the chosen card is revealed at either the top or bottom of the deck.
False Deals: When cards are dealt to a spectator just like at the start of a game of cards. The main difference is that the cards are known by the magician. One such false deal is bottom dealing (the cards for the spectator are drawn from the bottom of the deck).
Palming: Where a card is kept in the magicians hand hidden from the audience to be used later. A palmed card is normally placed back on the top of the deck.
Side Slips: Used to bring a card to the top of the deck. Or sometimes to bring it to the second card from the top so you can show that the card returned by the spectator is still not on the top of the deck.
False Shuffles: This is pretty straight forward. It just looks like the deck is being shuffled so that the cards appear to be put into random positions in the deck.
False Cuts: The magician appears to organize a fair cut so that no one knows what card is on top of the deck but this is not the case.
Crimps: A card is intentionally damaged at the beginning of an illusion so that it can be identified later in the routine.
Reverses: Cards in a deck appear to change direction for example face up to face down.
Jogs: When a card or cards are slightly protruding from the deck to mark the position of cards in the deck for recall later.
Coin magic
Coin magic is where you manipulate a coin or coins to entertain an audience. As coins are small nearly all coin magic is considered to be close up magic. As with card magic, coin magic has probably been around since coins were first brought out but again there is not really a lot of information in regards to coins being used in the way of magic. As the heading suggests coin magic uses coins to preform tricks this means that a trick can be done in any situation at all no matter what the situation. This is of course assuming that either you or the audience has a coin on them and lets face it everyone has some coins on them. The other factor is the size of the coin. This will not stop you doing a trick but will determine the type of trick that is preformed. Another thing to consider is gimmicks that the magician may be using. These include 2 sided coins, a coin with a bite taken out and some even use magic boxes. Coin effects are normally strung together in a routine so that the audience will see the desired effect. However most of the power in coin magic lies in the simplicity of the tricks and how good the magician is at the sleight being preformed. Some coin effects include:
Productions: The magician produces a coin out of mid air. This is normally done at the start of a trick or after a vanish has been done. Vanishes: Where the coin disappears into thin air for the magician to reproduce later. Transformations: This is when the coin changes into another coin or some other object that is used to distract the audience. Transpositions: Teleportations: The coin is made to seem like it is jumping from one place to another. For example the coin looks like it has jumped from the left hand to the right or into a pocket. Penetrations: The coin is passed through a solid object. The best example of this is a coin passing through a solid table. Restorations: Normally done with a gimmick coin. The magician can take a coin from a spectator make it vanish and bring it back then bit off a piece of the coin, restore the coin again and return it to the spectator. Levitations: Make the coin float in the air.