If I wanna learn the classic pass from the tube, does anyone have a suggestion who teaches it the best?
Classic problems that I can't just pass over (pun intended )
- Thread starter Lord Magic
- Start date
I'm new to the classic pass, but I'm using the classic pass video by Jason England sold on Ellusionist and its fantastic.
The Classic Pass by Jason England is here on Theory11, not Ellusionist.
I think I can categorically state that there is no one on YouTube that I've seen that will teach the pass properly.
They may teach how to make one packet transpose the other under cover, but that's only a fraction of what makes a good pass.
Find a copy of Expert at the Card Table. There's eBooks available, legally, for free, because it's in the public domain. It is the most concise text description of the classic pass I have ever read. Then, if you need a visual reference, get Jason England's video as well. Those two sources are the primary sources I used when learning the pass.
And remember this: No one should ever be looking at your hands when you do the pass. Focus on timing, sound, and a casual attitude.
I think I can categorically state that there is no one on YouTube that I've seen that will teach the pass properly.
They may teach how to make one packet transpose the other under cover, but that's only a fraction of what makes a good pass.
Find a copy of Expert at the Card Table. There's eBooks available, legally, for free, because it's in the public domain. It is the most concise text description of the classic pass I have ever read. Then, if you need a visual reference, get Jason England's video as well. Those two sources are the primary sources I used when learning the pass.
And remember this: No one should ever be looking at your hands when you do the pass. Focus on timing, sound, and a casual attitude.
Can you give a link of the free e-book version pls? Would help
And well I meant is there a good tutorial on You Tube?
Let me put it plainly: The vast majority of people who do tutorials on YouTube are awful teachers, because they have no actual experience with the moves they are supposedly teaching - they are just aping the movements they learned from some other crap tutorial on YouTube. They do not perform regularly, and they are not talented enough to garner views and followers without exposing secrets. There are exceptions, but the work of sifting through the junk isn't worth it in my mind. I'm sure there will be a couple guys who pop in here with recommendations shortly.
If you want to be seriously involved with magic, you are going to have to spend money. There's nearly no way around that.
I have given you two solid sources, one is free the other is cheap. If you can't take the initiative to head to Google now, I have bad news about your potential in the magic world. Learn to love research.
If you want to be seriously involved with magic, you are going to have to spend money. There's nearly no way around that.
I have given you two solid sources, one is free the other is cheap. If you can't take the initiative to head to Google now, I have bad news about your potential in the magic world. Learn to love research.
You can also look into the Royal Road for the most basic pass. There is like one, maybe 2 good tutorials on YouTube, but they will only help if you have some background knowledge. In fact, even if you learn it from the books, it'll be difficult. It is really a very personalized move for everyone.
Pick up the Royal Road if you don't have it already.
Pick up the Royal Road if you don't have it already.
Thank you for putting it so plainly. Which country are you sir? Imagine paying 70$ for a bicycle standard deck. Then imagine paying 560$ for something that people from other countries can get in 3$ after that you can tell me how black my future prospects in magic is.
Weird being told to research on magic after you have been in magic so long that now you understand the importance of essays about the magic that happen's in the audience's mind rather than craving after secrets.
Did not mean to offend you sir, sorry if I did, but sometimes people should just not assume that the magician asking a question is a complete novice. Am not offended, just wish you would have thought before reprimanding me for my likeness for you tube.
I asked for the link of the e-book, which you did not want to give. If you are not able to suggest anything on you tube, fine with me, people have their own unique sources that they love, it is okay.
But if learning a LOT (remember, not all) from 52kards, Jay Sankey and Chris Ramsey makes me a bad magician...
So be it
I was not criticizing you, I was criticizing your source of information.
This is going to be a bit of a rant. Not specifically directed at you, but at anyone to whom this applies.
There are a few people on YouTube who teach moves well. Ramsay is one of them. Sankey teaches things decently well, and at least he generally tries to only teach what he himself is also selling. Keep in mind, though, both of them are selling something. Ramsay is selling views, and Sankey is selling his products. I personally think 52Kards is unwatchable, but apparently a lot of people like them. Probably because they give away stuff for free.
Here's the thing though - even with the best of intentions, no one currently on YouTube will be able to dedicate the resources necessary to creating a comprehensive beginner's course in any reasonable amount of time. Because they have to make money. YouTube is currently Ramsay's job. That's his main source of income. He's going to put up whatever videos get him paid. Beginners courses on the ins and outs of being a magician aren't going to do that - there's not a large enough audience for them.
I hear a lot of people say magic is too expensive. No. Magic can be really, really cheap. Magic can cost absolutely nothing, in fact. You can sit yourself near something reflective and figure out how to make it seem like random objects are vanishing and appearing. That's how magic was figured out in the first place, after all. One guy held a rock a certain way, and realized that the other guy couldn't see it.
But more realistically, Mark Wilson's course is not expensive as far as these things go. You might need to save up for it. Though I just found it at Barnes and Noble's website for less than $6 USD including shipping (To me, in the US, on the East Coast). You don't need anything else. There is enough material in there for a creative and driven performer to build an entire career.
Cards are expensive where you live? Then don't start with card magic. Learn coin magic and suddenly you can create miracles with anything that's kind of small, round, and flat. Learn basic sleight of hand and then you can create miracles out of whatever is around you. Instead of focusing on the things that you can't afford, or have trouble affording, why not work with what is readily available to you?
People in Egypt create magic using thorns and sticks and rocks and bowls. They have for centuries.
Magic is only expensive when you want to buy everything. All the new videos and props and books and cards. I get it. I have some pretty expensive things I purchased that I probably shouldn't have. And I've got some pretty inexpensive things that I feel should have cost a lot more.
You don't need to buy all the things to be a good magician. Look at Rich Ferguson - he started from nothing, and is now a fairly successful professional magician/mentalist. According to an interview I've heard with him, he's read only a few magic books. He just uses his creativity and drive to make stuff up. Look at Mahdi Gilbert - a world renowned card magician who doesn't have hands. Look at Daniel Garcia, who grew up dirt poor and made the most out of everything he was able to get his hands on.
Creativity and drive. That's what it takes. So no I don't tend to spoon feed people things that they can easily locate themselves. If you lack the drive to find it yourself, that's what will hinder you. Not the lack of resources in your area, but the lack of drive to use what is around you to get what you want.
Rant over.
This is going to be a bit of a rant. Not specifically directed at you, but at anyone to whom this applies.
There are a few people on YouTube who teach moves well. Ramsay is one of them. Sankey teaches things decently well, and at least he generally tries to only teach what he himself is also selling. Keep in mind, though, both of them are selling something. Ramsay is selling views, and Sankey is selling his products. I personally think 52Kards is unwatchable, but apparently a lot of people like them. Probably because they give away stuff for free.
Here's the thing though - even with the best of intentions, no one currently on YouTube will be able to dedicate the resources necessary to creating a comprehensive beginner's course in any reasonable amount of time. Because they have to make money. YouTube is currently Ramsay's job. That's his main source of income. He's going to put up whatever videos get him paid. Beginners courses on the ins and outs of being a magician aren't going to do that - there's not a large enough audience for them.
I hear a lot of people say magic is too expensive. No. Magic can be really, really cheap. Magic can cost absolutely nothing, in fact. You can sit yourself near something reflective and figure out how to make it seem like random objects are vanishing and appearing. That's how magic was figured out in the first place, after all. One guy held a rock a certain way, and realized that the other guy couldn't see it.
But more realistically, Mark Wilson's course is not expensive as far as these things go. You might need to save up for it. Though I just found it at Barnes and Noble's website for less than $6 USD including shipping (To me, in the US, on the East Coast). You don't need anything else. There is enough material in there for a creative and driven performer to build an entire career.
Cards are expensive where you live? Then don't start with card magic. Learn coin magic and suddenly you can create miracles with anything that's kind of small, round, and flat. Learn basic sleight of hand and then you can create miracles out of whatever is around you. Instead of focusing on the things that you can't afford, or have trouble affording, why not work with what is readily available to you?
People in Egypt create magic using thorns and sticks and rocks and bowls. They have for centuries.
Magic is only expensive when you want to buy everything. All the new videos and props and books and cards. I get it. I have some pretty expensive things I purchased that I probably shouldn't have. And I've got some pretty inexpensive things that I feel should have cost a lot more.
You don't need to buy all the things to be a good magician. Look at Rich Ferguson - he started from nothing, and is now a fairly successful professional magician/mentalist. According to an interview I've heard with him, he's read only a few magic books. He just uses his creativity and drive to make stuff up. Look at Mahdi Gilbert - a world renowned card magician who doesn't have hands. Look at Daniel Garcia, who grew up dirt poor and made the most out of everything he was able to get his hands on.
Creativity and drive. That's what it takes. So no I don't tend to spoon feed people things that they can easily locate themselves. If you lack the drive to find it yourself, that's what will hinder you. Not the lack of resources in your area, but the lack of drive to use what is around you to get what you want.
Rant over.
Well stated!
And, at the expense of seeming uncreative and dull, I want to say "DITTO".
Honestly, I don't think it is entirely bad learning from YouTube, as long as it is not your only source. A lot of stuff on YouTube is good (mainly from the sources listed above, and a couple others). However, people simply need to understand that just knowing the moves isn't going to make you a great magician. 52Kards should be used as a visual aid to learn moves, and then you go and apply them by your self. Jay Sankey will teach you a complete performance centered around something, but again, you need to apply it by your self to fit you. I'm not going to go into this too much, I don't want to start an argument. My point is that you should be using it as a resource. Not as a course. Use it as a gateway to discover something else, or to better yourself.
Now let's say you don't have access to cards. You have access to coins right? So learn some coin magic (saying this to emphasize what @ChristopherT said earlier). You have access to the internet. You can pick up the E Book version of a ton of books. Take Bobo's Modern Coin Magic for example. You can get it for $5 as an e-book. And no, that doesn't mean $5 in the U.S. only, since it is a virtual copy. Do you have Amazon in your country? If not, try lybrary.com
They have a ton of E Books you can buy cheaply.
If you are really really interested in using cards, you can pick up other E books (or books in general) very cheaply. The E book for the Expert at the Card Table is very very cheap (cheaper than a deck of cards in the U.S.) on Amazon, and only $5 on lybrary.com
If you don't want to buy the books, buy the download of the move from theory 11.
As someone who hasn't had too much money (I'm not Daniel Garcia who had to do 100% of everything from scratch, but I'm by no means rich. However, I am grateful for everything I have in life, and I do honestly have more than enough), I can tell you that you don't need to spend too much. If you get x amount of money for your birthday, or a holiday, save some up. You can really "cheat the system" and get stuff very cheaply. Further more, you can come up with your own stuff if you just sit there and work for a bit. Don't get me wrong, buy the books whenever you can/want, they are great sources. But this doesn't mean you are limited.
Just one note with the pass specifically: It is not an easy move to use. Nor is it one that you can just go and learn. It is super subjective and personal, and will take you a while. Chances are, you probably know the motion, now just need to practice it. And the pass takes a long long time before you can get it perfect.
Oh, and didn't you say you have the Royal Road? Read the Pass section! It goes over the basics lol. You will be fine with that. If you need more visual help after that, look it up on 52Kards. It actually is detailed enough that it will help you understand what you may be doing wrong. But without knowing anything, it is pretty difficult to understand.
Now let's say you don't have access to cards. You have access to coins right? So learn some coin magic (saying this to emphasize what @ChristopherT said earlier). You have access to the internet. You can pick up the E Book version of a ton of books. Take Bobo's Modern Coin Magic for example. You can get it for $5 as an e-book. And no, that doesn't mean $5 in the U.S. only, since it is a virtual copy. Do you have Amazon in your country? If not, try lybrary.com
They have a ton of E Books you can buy cheaply.
If you are really really interested in using cards, you can pick up other E books (or books in general) very cheaply. The E book for the Expert at the Card Table is very very cheap (cheaper than a deck of cards in the U.S.) on Amazon, and only $5 on lybrary.com
If you don't want to buy the books, buy the download of the move from theory 11.
As someone who hasn't had too much money (I'm not Daniel Garcia who had to do 100% of everything from scratch, but I'm by no means rich. However, I am grateful for everything I have in life, and I do honestly have more than enough), I can tell you that you don't need to spend too much. If you get x amount of money for your birthday, or a holiday, save some up. You can really "cheat the system" and get stuff very cheaply. Further more, you can come up with your own stuff if you just sit there and work for a bit. Don't get me wrong, buy the books whenever you can/want, they are great sources. But this doesn't mean you are limited.
Just one note with the pass specifically: It is not an easy move to use. Nor is it one that you can just go and learn. It is super subjective and personal, and will take you a while. Chances are, you probably know the motion, now just need to practice it. And the pass takes a long long time before you can get it perfect.
Oh, and didn't you say you have the Royal Road? Read the Pass section! It goes over the basics lol. You will be fine with that. If you need more visual help after that, look it up on 52Kards. It actually is detailed enough that it will help you understand what you may be doing wrong. But without knowing anything, it is pretty difficult to understand.
Ok - this goes a little off into the theory and philosophy of magic more than the OP intends, but I promise it'll loop back.
The problem with YouTube isn't just that the quality of teaching is limited. It's that the focus is in the wrong place.
Ever read about those old magicians from a hundred years ago? Even 80 or 60 years ago? A lot of their performances were pretty hokey, if you look at them with a lens of what current society thinks. But a lot of it was also really, really powerful and even many shows today can't replicate that.
Robert Houdin stopped a war with magic. Let me say that again, for emphasis - Robert Houdin, stopped a war. With magic. Specifically, the bullet catch, the light and heavy chest, and what we'd currently call standard coin magic. His methods are well published - The light and heavy chest he used was done with electromagnets, and sent a shock to whomever was holding the handle of the box at a given time. His bullet catch was the same method used in The Prestige. His coin magic was the stuff taught in Bobo's.
The specific methods were not what made it so that Robert Houdin could stop a war with magic. What did it, was his reputation, and his style of performance. Robert Houdin had built up a reputation of being a wonder worker, invincible, incredible. The Makmoud challenged him to a duel with pistols because he was known to be invincible. So he caught the bullet, and made a wall bleed. He understood the belief systems of the audience he was performing for, and he worked within that frame work.
There are very few today doing magic who understand this. Most of the people out there, particularly the people "Teaching" on YouTube, are focused on the deception of the move. They're focused on the physical aspect - making a physical move invisible to the spectator who's burning your hands.
But if you read into the performance styles of the greats of even 40 years ago, you'll find an interesting thread. A lot of them, actually weren't that great at sleight of hand. A lot of them got away with what they did by pure force of personality. They were so captivating on stage that they could use methods that we would genuinely pass off as insane today. Blatant moves right under the nose of the audience. Heck, one of the most effective ways to make an elephant appear on stage is just to light the other side of the stage with a spotlight and do something small while they walk the dang thing into the dark area. Then flip on the spotlight on the elephant and TADA! Elephant! Oh my god! It sounds stupid. But it works.
So here's the thing about the pass.
The trick to the pass is not getting it perfect. It's not getting it so fast the eye can't see it. It's not making it so silent you can't even hear it in a quiet room with no furniture.
It's learning to do it when no one is looking. It's learning to create a presentation that is interesting and engaging enough that no one cares what you might be doing with your hands. It's learning to create a big blank space in the performance where anything can be done and not one person in the crowd will even realize something has been done.
That's why I don't think you should learn from YouTube. No one on YouTube really teaches how to create magic. No one. Because it's hard. Because it can't easily be put into clever words that make people want to watch a video and rack up those views and balloon that paycheck. Because everyone wants to hear that when they learn this technique. Just this one, secret, technique that no one else is talking about - that will finally make their magic great.
But it can't be learned like that. It can only be learned by going out and performing. It can only be learned by figuring out what lines work for you. What jokes suit your style. What character best allows you to captivate an audience enough that they don't care how you do the tricks. What script will allow you to do everything you want, and get people invested enough that they care more about having the experience of seeing you do your thing, and how you do it doesn't matter. Nothing but performance time will ever teach you that.
Nothing.
And you can't put that into a video and get views. So it'll never be on YouTube.
So why bother learning from YouTube?
The problem with YouTube isn't just that the quality of teaching is limited. It's that the focus is in the wrong place.
Ever read about those old magicians from a hundred years ago? Even 80 or 60 years ago? A lot of their performances were pretty hokey, if you look at them with a lens of what current society thinks. But a lot of it was also really, really powerful and even many shows today can't replicate that.
Robert Houdin stopped a war with magic. Let me say that again, for emphasis - Robert Houdin, stopped a war. With magic. Specifically, the bullet catch, the light and heavy chest, and what we'd currently call standard coin magic. His methods are well published - The light and heavy chest he used was done with electromagnets, and sent a shock to whomever was holding the handle of the box at a given time. His bullet catch was the same method used in The Prestige. His coin magic was the stuff taught in Bobo's.
The specific methods were not what made it so that Robert Houdin could stop a war with magic. What did it, was his reputation, and his style of performance. Robert Houdin had built up a reputation of being a wonder worker, invincible, incredible. The Makmoud challenged him to a duel with pistols because he was known to be invincible. So he caught the bullet, and made a wall bleed. He understood the belief systems of the audience he was performing for, and he worked within that frame work.
There are very few today doing magic who understand this. Most of the people out there, particularly the people "Teaching" on YouTube, are focused on the deception of the move. They're focused on the physical aspect - making a physical move invisible to the spectator who's burning your hands.
But if you read into the performance styles of the greats of even 40 years ago, you'll find an interesting thread. A lot of them, actually weren't that great at sleight of hand. A lot of them got away with what they did by pure force of personality. They were so captivating on stage that they could use methods that we would genuinely pass off as insane today. Blatant moves right under the nose of the audience. Heck, one of the most effective ways to make an elephant appear on stage is just to light the other side of the stage with a spotlight and do something small while they walk the dang thing into the dark area. Then flip on the spotlight on the elephant and TADA! Elephant! Oh my god! It sounds stupid. But it works.
So here's the thing about the pass.
The trick to the pass is not getting it perfect. It's not getting it so fast the eye can't see it. It's not making it so silent you can't even hear it in a quiet room with no furniture.
It's learning to do it when no one is looking. It's learning to create a presentation that is interesting and engaging enough that no one cares what you might be doing with your hands. It's learning to create a big blank space in the performance where anything can be done and not one person in the crowd will even realize something has been done.
That's why I don't think you should learn from YouTube. No one on YouTube really teaches how to create magic. No one. Because it's hard. Because it can't easily be put into clever words that make people want to watch a video and rack up those views and balloon that paycheck. Because everyone wants to hear that when they learn this technique. Just this one, secret, technique that no one else is talking about - that will finally make their magic great.
But it can't be learned like that. It can only be learned by going out and performing. It can only be learned by figuring out what lines work for you. What jokes suit your style. What character best allows you to captivate an audience enough that they don't care how you do the tricks. What script will allow you to do everything you want, and get people invested enough that they care more about having the experience of seeing you do your thing, and how you do it doesn't matter. Nothing but performance time will ever teach you that.
Nothing.
And you can't put that into a video and get views. So it'll never be on YouTube.
So why bother learning from YouTube?
I agree with this. But the basic TL DR thing is
You can't learn it without doing it in performance. It isn't like a double lift where there is a right and a wrong method. It is super subjective to style. Therefore, YouTube will not help you learn the pass, since it is more of a move that relies on theory and creation, which can't be taught on YouTube.
Feel free to go to YouTube and see how people do THEIR OWN Pass, and figure out how to build your own pass. However, to do this, you need to have at least a basic understanding of the pass first. All of the videos regarding it should be taken with a grain of salt.