Seniorgiri

Counter the Loneliness Yourself.

Seniorgiri Series: Hobbies

MAGIC TRICKS

By Shobha Mathur Shobham@yahoo.com

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Hello When was the last time you did Something for the First Time?

Do it now. This is the age to enjoy whatever you wanted to do before but had no time to do till now. You are your own best friend. You do not need any one’s permission to learn new crafts or pursue new hobbies.

Remember

☺ You are not competing with anyone. ☺ You do not have to prove anything to anyone. ☺ You have to suit only your pace of doing thing,

Last but not least

☺ Be proud of yourself for all and any achievement.

☺ Enjoy and Enhance your life and abilities.

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THIS IS HOBBY HELP SERIES FOR SENIORS.

I am compiling a series of things to do - what to do to counter loneliness, in addition, how to go about it. This is about Magic tricks. By its very nature this is for beginners. Once you get the hang of it you may try advance tricks later. I have tested all the links mentioned. As on February 2010, all links are secure, correct and working. You should look for more as you surf. You may find many that will suit to your needs. This is just a first step.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you like.

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Magic

Introduction

The word magic has its roots in Greek Magos ( magicians).

Magic has two different connotations.

Magic

Historically magic has been associated with mystical incidents, and is also known as sorcery.

This kind of magic involves spells, rituals, charms, clairvoyance, and other such paraphernalia which can be used to heal or harm a person. It is what is called “Black” or “White” Magic. Recently Harry Potter has popularized this concept.

Many cultures have versions of witches, wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, witch doctors, shamans, and other people who could control paranormal powers for assorted tasks. They were revered and feared for their abilities. It was believed they could heal as well as cast spells even to change weather, cause famine and sickness.

Even today in Africa and Latin America voodoo is a religion! In western society also training for witchcraft is gaining ground.

In India also Tantriks and local Ojhas perform spell related tasks – specially for “Evil Eye” ( Nazar Lagana) .

Magic Tricks

Anyway, this article is not about this kind of supernatural Magic. This is about the second type which is pure entertainment and has nothing to do with any mystical subject.

This kind of magic is a field where people create illusions or effects.

Skilled magicians can seem to make flowers bloom in mid-air, cut women in half, conjure rabbits from hats, escape from sealed vaults, vanish from one place and appear in another.

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There is no supernatural force involved in this, only focused work and practice.

If you are of gregarious nature, like to surprise people with pranks and showing off, try magic tricks.

There are many professional magicians, who perform big time on stages and need a lot of gear and paraphernalia. Our own P.C. Sarkar and his son are quite famous.

But you do not have to go to that level to enjoy magic. Just to show magic tricks to your grandchildren and their friends, in your local social gatherings, senior clubs will be rewarding enough.

You do not even need many tools. Most basic tricks are done with packs of cards, coins, handkerchiefs, ropes and other household items. Only thing required is practice for a flawless presentation and gift of gab.

Many magic kits are available for children from very basic to quite complex. Maybe you could try from that. All instructions are with the kit.

There are shops also which sell “magic” tricks. I have given some links for online shopping.

There are many free lessons and tutorials available on the net for home or armature magician.

There are some free e newsletters also which you can subscribe to.

Note

This is a hobby article, so I am only including very basic and beginner’s items. Anyone want to go beyond this can surf for advance lessons.

If you become really efficient, it can also be a source of income. But for that you need a different grade of tricks and props.

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History of Modern Magic Magic as we know today in only about 150 years old.

Robert-Houdin of France introduced many stage illusions. He is called the father of modern magic. By profession a clockmaker, he was born Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin in Blois, France, in 1805. His debut as a magician was in 1845 in Paris.

He was the first magician to use electricity; he perfected the thought-transference trick; and he used common objects to create illusions instead of complicated pieces of machinery.

He also denounced magicians who claimed psychic powers or supernatural help for their tricks. Robert-Houdin is the man from whom the American magician Harry Houdini took his name a generation later.

In 1856 the French government sent Robert-Houdin to Algeria to discredit native priests who were using magic to foment rebellion. Robert-Houdin used one of his best tricks to deceive them. He had an empty wooden box that anyone could lift. It had an iron bottom, however, and could be made immovable by turning on an electromagnet hidden under the stage floor. With this trick he was able to convince an audience that he could drain the strength from the strongest of men at will.

English-born John Nevil Maskelyne was a noted escape artist. Along with his amazing escapes he perfected levitation rising from the stage seemingly unaided. In 1893 he teamed with master magician David Devant. In 1911 they published 'Our Magic', a major sourcebook on the theory of magic. Maskelyne died in 1917, but Devant went on performing until shortly before his death in 1941 at the age of 73.

Before Harry Houdini, the most outstanding American magician and showman was Harry Kellar. He traveled to many parts of the world before settling in the United States in 1884. In 1908, he sold his show to Howard Thurston. Thurston was from Ohio and was touring the world doing mainly card tricks when Kellar met him in Paris. After he took over Kellar's show he made it the largest magic extravaganza to that time. For more than 20 years he toured with a three-hour show and became known for his large stage illusions such as the "floating

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lady." In 1931 he shortened his program to appear as a stage attraction in movie theaters.

The English magician P.T. Selbit (born Percy Thomas Tibbles) gained fame for two unusual illusions.

In 1914 he walked through a brick wall on stage. This illusion was repeated in 1986 when David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall of China in a performance that was seen on television.

In 1921 Selbit became famous for his trick of sawing a woman in half.

http://lookd.com/magic/emergence.html

The World Of Magic Magicians makes the impossible possible, the visible invisible, and the unbelievable believable. It is a both an art and science of entertainment and illusion.

Learning and practicing magic tricks, and perfecting them are an enjoyable activity in itself.

Magic is a performing art. You can read about magic tricks from books and videos, but to learn you have to do it. Whether your focus is in cards, coins, magic rope routines, manipulations, cups and balls, or impromptu magic, you must practice till no one can guess what you are up to.

http://themagicianscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/featured3.jpg

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Different Types of Magic Tricks

There are thousands of tricks. They are classified three ways, according to :

Where they are performed.

What is performed

How it is performed

Classification by place of show

Child Magic

Child magic is to entertain children. These must be quick tricks as children cannot concentrate long. The magician should use color full props and animals.

Close up magic

This requires least skill and anyone can do it with just a little practice. Simple everyday things such as a deck of cards, key chains, some small balls or coins are used. This kind of trick proves that the hand is faster than the eye.

This is performed for a small group of people within a small space. The magician will be sitting or standing with the people.

This is also known as parlor magic.

At the most the magician might need a covered table.

Stage magic

Here the magician is at a distance from the audience and is performing tricks for large crowds. Tricks are done on a large scale so that everyone in the audience can see and know what is happening.

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Sawing a woman in half, levitating in air, turning a lady into a lion, and making large objects to vanish are all stage magic. Stage magicians are also great entertainers so that they keep the entire audience involved during the show.

Street magic

It is performed outside on the roads. Very popular in USA.

Street magic often includes sleight of hand tricks, although a variety of magic is performed this way.

One of the most famous current-day street magicians is David Blaine, who performs a wide range of card tricks, disappearing acts, and even levitation on the street.

Classification by What is performed

Production

Something comes out of nothing - pull rabbits out of a hat. Some magicians generate a wide selection of objects out of thin air. appearing out of nowhere in a puff of smoke is also production.

Vanishing

This is the opposite of production. The performer makes an object, an assistant and himself to disappear.

David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear and P.C. Sarkar had the Taj Mahal vanish.

Transformation

Turning one thing into another - a jug of milk into a white pigeon. Cards change color. Transformation is a combination of vanishing and production.

The performer makes one object disappear and make another appear creating the illusion of transformation.

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Restoration

An object is destroyed and then restored to its original state. A newspaper is torn into pieces, an assistant is cut in two, and then restored.

Teleportation

An object is moved from one place to another.

Keith Barry performed a combination of restoration and teleportation when he burned a bill with a volunteer's name on it and later teleported the bill inside the lighter the he used to burn the bill originally.

Escapology

It is all about escapes from handcuffs, cramped and locked places. Harry Houdini's was most famous for this.

Levitation

It is making something or someone float, sometimes the performer himself.

Criss Angel did an amazing levitation performances when he floated from one building to another.

Penetration

This illusion makes a solid object appear to pass through another. Could be a the performer passing through glass, rings linking and unlinking, swords appear to impale an assistant inside a box, etc

Mentalism

The magician shows that he possesses special abilities to read thoughts, predict events or control the minds of others. He can predict a card or a number that the audience choose.

In front of live audiences, mentalists will recreate drawings done by audience members that are unseen to the magician, but visible to the audience. They will also read the minds of strangers and perform an array of amazing mental tricks

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Mentalist feats can be done with a large or solitary audience, on a stage or close-up.

Classification by how it is done All these are different techniques used in showcasing magic. They can be used on their own or in combination of two or more.

Magic is all about illusions that mystify and that are kept secret. A performer has to understand basic rules and practice them .

Misdirection

Magicians use misdirection to convince the audience that they are doing something incredible. The performer deliberately acts in such a way that the audience looks not where they ought, but in an entirely different direction.

Smoke and mirrors were often used by early magicians and they are still some of the most useful tools of the modern day magicians.

Sleight of hand

These are skilled hand movements where objects seem to appear and disappear in the hands of the performer.

Sleight of hand tricks are used with a variety of objects, including card, coins, balls, and other objects.

Showmanship

Make the audience think that there is a lot of effort in doing a trick even if the trick is really simple.

www.clipartof.com/details/clipart/15752.html

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How to begin?

Previously, the only way to become a magician was to learn magic as an apprentice. Currently it is much easier. Books, Interactive CD-ROMs, Videos, and the Internet all have a wealth of lessons. Especially internet is a boon. There are free lessons, tips, and blogs of peer groups for support.

Ready-prepared and basic tricks are available from magic shops, and most good toy shops.

Learning magic on your own is not difficult. Step by step tutorials abound both in text and visual format. Sleight of hand is best learned from videos, as they show you exactly where to place your hands and how to place the objects in your hands that you need.

It is important to have a good knowledge of all magic principles to become a successful magician.

Magic is not learned just from books and videos, but through practice.

Go and see a live magic show in your area, even if it is a children's magician, to get a feel of how a magician performs. Try to work out whether or how you will like to improve the show.

You can also watch magic shows on the TV.

kidsmagictricks.net/

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Accessories and tools You will need some tools, but unlike other hobbies there are no standard set of tools of trade. Depending on what you want to show, you will need the items.

For close up shows it is better to take some items from the host, especially for coin tricks.

Still, packs of cards, special handkerchiefs, may be a wand for effects can be carried.

A wand is a personalized stick supposedly a source of power and used for spells. (See Harry Potter!) Wands are generally made from wood, bone or metal. A typical wand is between 6-16 in (15-40 cm) long, and carved or decorated

We somehow always associate a top hat with a magician – the most famous trick of producing rabbits from it! So if you can invest in a magician’s costume with a hat, it will give you instant recognition! Or go Indian and wear a turban!

Each trick will need its own set of items, and that you have to carry inconspicuously.

Later you may like to make your own props for the shows.

You should try to specialize in one kind of trick instead of trying for all.

http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/w/images/f/f7/Magic.png

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Psychology of Magic

When you perform all your friend will be eager to catch you off. It is your job to prevent them. That is where knowledge of the audience psychology comes handy.

Misdirection / distraction

It is vital that you keep the audience from noticing what is actually happening. If you can control audience's attention, either by talking or gesturing, you need only some skill of hand and very little apparatus.

Distraction of the mind is as crucial as distraction of the eye. The attention is drawn away from the method. In a mechanical trick, for instance, the magician talks about skill of hand or magic words anything but mechanics.

Robert-Houdin was very adept at misdirecting an audience, as he proved with his wooden box that could not be lifted by the strongest of men.

Timing

In the psychology of magic timing is crucial. How an action is performed and the time, at which it is done, a magician can impress audiences with the doing or make them fail to notice that anything at all is being done.

Sleight of hand

Sleight of hand must be done slowly and gently. You can continue to talk about speed of the hand to mislead spectators so they will watch alertly for some swift movement. They thus fail to notice the normal, easygoing motions by which the trick is really done.

The most necessary skill to attain great sleight of hand is the ability to palm an object undetected.

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You can perfect this with much palming practice. Conceal small objects such as coins during your everyday, normal activities. Practice palming a small object (in either or both hands) while writing, eating, watching TV, walking around, or doing anything else. As you practice, pay attention angles.

Soon, no one will detect that you have an object hidden in your hand. Before long, you can conceal various objects comfortably with no self-consciousness. Eventually, it will become almost natural to you. After that, you can palm objects more confidently, boldly, and successfully.

Master Your Presentation

Practice your presentation. The most effective routines are simple effects to which your audience can relate and understand. Where is the magic if your audience doesn’t understand what happened? Your presentation should be straightforward, simple, and easily understood.

Watch Your Angles

Always be aware of your angles. Consider carefully what every member of the audience can see, otherwise they could get a glimpse of the object you think is hidden. The trick is exposed and the magic is gone.

Look at them

Eye contact is essential. Look at each of your spectators in turn. This makes the audience believe that you are talking to them, and not through them.

Secrecy

Never reveal your secrets if you want to go on doing your shows. An aura of mystery should hang about your movements. Chanting some mantra can add to ambience.

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No repetition

Do not repeat a trick. When a trick is done for the first time, the audience is amazed. Doing it twice will make the audience predict what will happen and the sense of wonder is lost.

If an enthusiastic viewer pleads for you to repeat, counter with something like, “OK, in a minute. Right now, I want to show you something even more baffling,” and proceed to show a different effect.

By the time you are finished with the second routine, they will be so amazed you can move on to something new.

Confidence

Even if you have stage fright, try not to show. You are the master and they are going to be under your spell. Follow your personality. Some like to chatter, some do buffoonery and some just like to work silently with grand gestures. Do whatever makes you comfortable.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/08/21/science/magic_span_600.jpg

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Starting the journey

To begin with, start with a deck of cards, and coins. They are cheap, easily available and there are thousands of tricks available. There are even special trick cards obtainable!

Most card tricks make use of sleight of hand techniques, still there are also a large number of self working card tricks that are very easy to perform and require no skill at all.

There are many links later to look for tricks. Please check them out and choose some to learn. Download the video, or the text to read and understand first what is needed and how it is done.

Then PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

When you think you have it right, practice some more in front of a mirror. This will show any imperfections.

Start with the real easy ones first to build up your confidence.

When you’re starting out with magic, the best tricks to start with are ones that don’t need complicated sleight of hand to be able to perform.

There are some great card magic tricks that are good for beginners, which work because of the way the trick’s method has been constructed.

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The following link is a very good one for beginners. It shows you how to shuffle a deck, how to make people choose a card and all sort of other techniques. The graphic shows some of the tricks taught.

http://magic.about.com/od/beginningmagic/u/learnmagic.htm#s1

Easy Magic Tricks for Beginners http://magic.about.com/od/libraryofsimpletricks/Easy_Magic_Tricks_for_Beginners.htm

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Kinds of Tricks

Self working

Anyone knowing the secret or the science behind the trick can perform these tricks successfully every time.

Passing a quarter through a dime-sized hole is one example of a self-working magic trick. The magician bends a piece of paper with a dime-sized hole in half, then places the quarter in the divided hole. By bending out both sides of the hole, the quarter should fall through without tearing the paper.

Some magic tricks involving math or cards are also considered self-working, because the order of the cards or the numbers does not change.

Gimmicks

Other magic tricks work through gimmicks.

The objects used are modified in some way to guarantee a successful outcome.

A gimmicked card may have two different suits, depending on which half the magician chooses to reveal. A gimmicked coin may be rigged to bend in half and reassemble itself 'magically'.

These are special tricks that you can buy.

Another type of magic trick popular with audiences is the stage illusion. These magic tricks are often performed on a grand scale, with beautiful assistants aiding the magician and elaborate light or music cues guiding the action. Illusions are essentially based on tricking the audience's sense of vision. These are beyond the scope of this hobby series.

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Tips for learning and Performing

Set aside an hour or so a day for practice. Do it regularly, say three times a week, at the same time, and get into the habit of practicing. Treat your magic like studying for exams, and you can't go far wrong.

Do not be in a hurry to read the description through, and immediately try to produce the result. Read carefully through first, and understand what is required to be done; after that, follow, with the hands step by step, until it is certain that all is correct up to each point.

With cards, this careful following of the text with the hands is especially essential, and attention to it will save much time, trouble, and annoyance at the outset, when everything new will naturally appear difficult, if not absurd.

Don't perform a trick until you can do it with one hand behind your back, blindfolded, and without having to think about what you're doing.

Practice in front of a mirror, so that you can see exactly what your audience will see. This will enable you to spot any mistakes you may be making.

If you have a video camera or camcorder, then video yourself performing, which lets you see just how good/bad you actually are. If you are not satisfied with your performance, then you know that your audience will be too.

Learn to do as many different types of tricks as you can, so that if someone gives you a coin, you can do a trick with it, or if someone gives you a deck of cards, you'll be able to do a trick with that too. This is called performing 'Impromptu'.

When performing with props, keep them clean and presentable at all times. Make sure your props work correctly before a performance!

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First Show

Once you have learned a good number of tricks, perhaps 10 or 12, then it's about time you started thinking about putting a short show together. 30 minutes is just right.

The speech and patter

Initially prepare, and learn by heart, a little set speech to begin with, and also the accompanying talk for each trick. When you are more seasoned you may not need this. The first appearance before an audience is in itself quite intimidating, without any additional problem that you do not know what to say.

You have to be careful that your talk is entertaining and not a lecture.

I suggest during the first six months, write down everything you have to do or say, accompanied by the minutest stage directions. Each hand and foot should have its proper position at a given moment.

Prepare the Stage

Set up a stage that could consist of either a piano bench or a small table with a sheet or table cloth. It makes it look more professional. Keep some flower vases on the corners of the table; it looks good and helps hide the work view from public.

Make sure by going around the seating arrangements that you can be seen, but your trick area is not visible. Also see there are no mirrors hanging behind you.

Prepare the Props

Gather all the paraphernalia that you need beforehand and carry in one box.

The usual props used by magicians include playing cards, hats, animals, a handkerchief, etc.

Advance magicians use more complex personalized props.

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Costume

You will need full sleeve shirts and pants with deep pockets. A top hat or turban gives instant celebrity status!

For more advanced tricks specially made coats, cloaks, hats and pants are used.

The Show

A successful show has a beginning, middle and an end, just like any good book.

Always start off with a 'warm-up' which is a short but startling effect performed by you, normally without audience help that gets your audience into the swing of things.

After the warm-up, perhaps perform a slightly longer effect, with lots of good patter, and perhaps some audience interaction.

When creating your routine, don't put two similar effects together or two long or two short tricks together.

For example, if your first trick involves a vanish, then it's a good idea not to make the second trick a vanish also.

Then again, if you can find a way to link two effects, for example, using the flowers you produced in trick one as part of trick two, then the show flows a little better.

Pace yourself, and remember that variety is the spice of any show. Always finish with your most spectacular effect, as a finale

As a general rule, the younger the audience, the shorter the show should be. Always leave the audience wanting more.

The best way to get started here is to show a few tricks to family members or close friends and judge their reaction. After you become confident about performing for them, then you can think about doing shows for your local school, playgroup, or party.

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Remember that each audience will be different. Children like different types of magic than adults and each age group will have different tastes.

Remember that each different social class, age group etc. find different things funny.

http://insidegreece.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/web_zapatero.jpg

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Some simple tricks

Card Tricks

These are tricks where a chosen card changes place, comes out of its own from the pack , or many variations of this theme. To be able to do these you have to master sleight of hand – there are several poses you have to learn.

1. The pass.

2. The false shuffle.

3. The palm.

4. The change.

5. The slide.

6. The force.

To be able to do card tricks in a convincing matter you have to practice all these unstintingly. They may seem difficult at first, but practice will give you perfection.

These set of techniques used to create illusions for card are also called Legerdemain as well as sleight of hand.

Legerdemain is one of the most difficult skills for the magician to perfect, but also one of the most impressive.

You can learn about them here

Classic magic .net

http://www.classicmagic.net/tricks/7a.php

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One excellent mentalism trick

This is a fantastic trick from http://www.buyingmagictricks.com/magic-tricks/what-kinds-of-magic-tricks-are-are-good-for-beginners

Besides card magic, there are other tricks a beginner can learn to do easily. Here’s an example, which is a trick called ‘1089 Mind Reading’. This is an example of mind or prediction magic, and if performed well, it will definitely have your audience scratching their heads, and wondering how you did it (be sure never to tell them the secret)!

To start with, you’ll need a book, a slip of paper, and an envelope. In the book, go to page number 10, on this page go 8 lines down, and find the 9th word on this line. Hopefully this word is something other than ‘the’, ‘a’ or ‘and’ – if not, you might want to choose another book! Write this word down on the paper, put it in the envelope, and seal it.

In front of your audience, show them the sealed envelope, tell them you’ve made a prediction, and then ask an audience member to guard the envelope. Say that you’re going to get the audience to help you choose a random number.

Pick someone from the audience, and ask them to think of a 3 digit number, e.g. 487. Get them to reverse this, and subtract the smaller from the larger, so, here 784 – 487 = 297. Secondly, request they reverse this result, and add together – so here 297 + 792 = 1089. It might be that at this point, they have 198 rather than 1089. If this is the case, just have another step, ask them to reverse & add again, so e.g. 198 + 981 = 1089. This is a curious mathematical fact, taking these steps with any 3 digit number will always give 1089.

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Now it’s time to use that result. Hand the book to a member of the audience, and say that the first 2 digits should indicate the page to turn to – i.e. page 10. Then tell them to use the 3rd digit to find the line on that page – line 8, and the final digit represents the word on that line – word 9.

Finally, it’s time to reveal your prediction. Ask the audience member with the book to read that word aloud. Then ask the other audience member you had guard your envelope to open it and show what was written on the piece of paper. The result – a fantastic display of mental prediction!

You can have a lot of fun doing this trick; just remember to practice it through a few times before performing for an audience. One thing you could do to make it seem a bit more random is at the start, to throw a sponge ball, or ball of paper into the audience, and ask them to pick a single digit between 1 and 9. Then have them throw the paper in the air and get someone else to choose a second digit, and repeat this with another audience member for the final digit. This draws out the performance a little, and adds a bit more fun too. Remember you can only perform this trick once in front of the same audience!

Make a card vanish into thin air! http://kids.mysterynet.com/magic/

Supplies You Need

Ordinary deck of cards

Handkerchief with a hem

Toothpick

Scissors

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Setup

Take a toothpick and match it up against the end of one of the cards. Take the scissors and cut the toothpick so it's the same as the width of the card. Poke it into the hem of the handkerchief. Make sure it won't fall out.

How to Perform

Take the deck of cards and spread them out in a pile on the table in front of the audience.

Bring out your handkerchief and say, "I will make an ordinary playing card disappear, right before your very eyes," or something similar.

Place the handkerchief on top of the pile of cards, with the part with the toothpick underneath the rest of the handkerchief. Look casual as you do this.

With one hand, pick up the toothpick between your thumb and forefinger and raise it up from the pile of cards. It will look like you are holding the edge of one of the cards.

Say, "And it's gone!" as you wave the handkerchief in the air, showing there's no card inside. It's vanished into thin air!

Vanishing Coin Trick http://kids.mysterynet.com/magic/magic025/

Effect

You place a coin and a glass on a table. You cover the glass with a handkerchief and move it over the coin. Remove the hankerchief and

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the coin has vanished! Cover the glass again, move it away, and the coin has reappeared!

Supplies You Need

A clear glass

Two sheets of construction paper, the same color

A pencil

Scissors

Glue

A coin

A handkerchief

Setup

Prepare the glass: Turn the glass upside-down and put it onto the sheet of colored paper. Take the pencil, draw around the glass and cut out the circle. Put a small amount of glue on the rim of the glass and place it on the paper cut-out. Let this dry thoroughly-- it should take at least a few hours. Then cut any extra paper away from the edges.

Now 'set the stage.' Put the second sheet of colored paper on the table-- everything will go on top of this. Put the glass onto the paper upside-down, over to one side. Keep the coin in your pocket and the handkerchief with you.

How to Perform

After you have set everything up, bring in the audience. Say, "I will make a coin magically disappear before your very eyes. Does

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someone have a coin I can use?" If someone has a coin, use it, but if not, bring out your own and say, "I have a coin with me, so we'll use this one."

Put the coin in the center of the paper. Pick up the handkerchief and say, "I will use the glass to make the coin vanish." Cover the glass and move the handkerchief and glass on top of the coin. Now take the handkerchief away-- the coin looks like it's gone! It's actually hidden under the paper that is glued to the glass. After a second, cover the glass again and move it away, into your magic box or put it away. The coin has returned!

Hint: When the trick is done, distract your audience by starting another trick or ending the show. Don't let them look at the glass, because they'll see how you did the trick. Remember the Magician's Rules: Keep the secret a secret!

Summary

So even if you’re a total beginner when it comes to magic, there are literally hundreds of tricks you can learn pretty quickly. Many online magic sites will have tricks just like the one above that you can learn. Very soon, you’ll have quite a repertoire of tricks, which you can use to really entertain your family and friends.

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/images/magictricks4_c.gif

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Links

All these free Magic links are correct, secure and working as on Feb 2010.

Magic Tricks

Have a peak through our growing list of magic tricks, including street & close-up magic, card tricks, coin tricks, levitation and other cool illusions. Free registration.

http://www.blifaloo.com/magic/index.php

Easy Magic Tricks Free Card Magician Secrets

Free lessons and instructions to learn the basics of card tricks, coin trickery, levitating illusions and street magician tactics, many with video demos. Free registration http://www.howtodotricks.com/

Magic India

The Academy of Magical Sciences, popular as the first Magic Academy of Asia presents a website dedicated for promoting Indian magicians. http://www.magiciansindia.com/

Magic-Hobby Home

Is a collection of magic tricks, illusions and Sleight of hand so you can learn magic. http://www.magic-hobby.co.uk/

Amateur Magician!

This weblog is focused on educating amateur magicians how to perform magic tricks, enhance their knowledge and improve their tricks. Each week a new exiting trick will be analyzed thoroughly within a highly multimedia article posted on this weblog. http://amateurmagician.co.uk/welcome/welcome-to-amateur-magician/

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Real magic net

If you're looking for some amazing online magic tricks or want to know the secrets behind the illusions of David Copperfield and David Blaine, you have come to the right place! http://www.realmagic.net/

Magicbox

http://www.magicbox.uk.com/shop.php/magic-tricks/i_11.html

Online Magic Lessons / Free Tricks

Sites with online lessons, free trick instructions or courses. http://links.magictricks.com/magiclessons.html

Types of Cards for Magic Tricks

Learn the types of playing cards to use and learn how to do easy magic tricks using the basic principles and techniques of illusion in this free magic lesson video. http://www.ehow.com/video_2388556_types-cards-magic-tricks.html

Free magic blog

http://www.freemagicblog.com/how-did-they-do-that-types-of-magic-tricks

Learn great magic tricks

Whether you are a beginner or an old pro, you will find interesting and fun information here. You have found the kind of information I desperately sought when I started in magic. Also free newsletter. http://www.learn-great-magic-tricks.com/

Card trick central

The #1 Site for Card Tricks on the Internet http://www.cardtricksite.com/

kids.mysterynet

Simple tricks for kids and beginners. http://kids.mysterynet.com/magic/magic026/

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Just for Fun : Magic Tricks

http://www.wannalearn.com/Just_for_Fun/Magic_Tricks/

David Blaine Style Street Magic

http://www.goodtricks.net/david-blaine-street-magic-tricks.html

LearnMagicTricks.org

Many Videos for learning http://www.learnmagictricks.org/

Magic Tricks

Learn How To Do Hundreds of Magic Tricks - Free! http://www.classicmagic.net/

TrickMagic

Learn how to do magic tricks! We'll reveal the secrets behind some great sleight of hand moves! You can learn how to pull a card out of thin air, how to throw a card 50 to 100 feet in the air, make people believe you are psychic. http://www.trickmagic.com/

Magicbunny.net

We have teamed up with Pubtricks.com who are the leader in download magic on the internet to provide you with a great selection of magic tricks. http://www.magicbunny.net/

Free Magic Tricks 4U

Would you Like to Learn FREE Street Magic? http://www.freemagictricks4u.com/

Magic and Illusion

Learn many tricks, and also subscribe to a newsletter – all free. http://magic.about.com/

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XPloreMagic

XPloreMagic offers you thousands movies of free magic tutorial, magic show, documentary, and fun. http://www.xploremagic.com/

Online Shops

MAGIC MART

All types of Magic Tricks made in India by Metal, Feather, Wood, Plastic, Feather for export to foreign buyers. Online shop.

http://magicmart.en.ecplaza.net/

Dude That's Cool Magic

Our online Magic Shop, caters for both the specialist performer and the amateur magician alike.

http://www.dudethatscoolmagic.co.uk/

kidsmagictricks.net/

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Acknowledgement

The filler Flower graphics used here are from Hellas Multimedia http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/default.htm. The beautiful graphics are free. Graphics from the net are acknowledged at the point. Other clipart are from Microsoft WP Clipart Free Collection. This e book is by Ms.Shobha Mathur shobham@yahoo.com

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