Recently I was thinking of the advantages and disadvantages of performing Impromptu. I prefer Impromptu over prepared, though I was curious which you prefer. Also, I was wondering how much each of you preform Impromptu.
Last edited on Sep 18, 2008 at 5:13 PM by Hakuzosu.
"To those who question whether clarity is all that important, I can only say that it is the most important quality in the making of a film" - François Truffaut
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 18, 2008 at 7:25 PM
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adamomagus
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Well, when doing "street magic", I often have my first one or two tricks prepared. The rest are usually impromptu, because it allows them to shuffle the cards.
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 18, 2008 at 8:56 PM
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colelamothe
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Interesting, I perform much more with stacked cards (not usually an entirely stacked deck) than I do with gimmicked cards, as I prefer to end somewhat clean.
"To those who question whether clarity is all that important, I can only say that it is the most important quality in the making of a film" - François Truffaut
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 19, 2008 at 8:34 AM
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Maxpayne
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well,I'll set up a stacked deck when impromptu,take the deck and ask him:are you sure the deck is complete? That would be my golden time to arrange a stacked deck. False shuffle...and ready to go
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 19, 2008 at 6:52 PM
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colelamothe
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hmmm clever maxpayne. but im still not a fan of full stacks i do have tricks that use them but i rarely if ever perform them, i usually will only stack 4-5 cards max on a normal day. I much rather find other ways to astound the people for a stack for me takes alot of the fun out of performing, i love magic because of the reactions and the people you get to astound but i love the challenge of pulling a slight under someones nose instead of just memorizing a stack.
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 19, 2008 at 9:08 PM
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adamomagus
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It's highly debatable, whether stacked decks are better to use than non stacked ones. For me, I don't care that much. I prefer non-stacked tricks, but if it's an amazing effect, then I will stack the deck for the sake of reactions. Sure, it's not my first choice, but it works. I do love pulling sleights off, though cole. I feel good when I have done a successful trick.
People have preferences, but for me I could go either way.
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln
Here's my opinion: I prefer pure, sleight of hand card magic over pure stacked deck tricks. However, you may want to note that some tricks that involve sleights still make use of the stacked deck.
"To those who question whether clarity is all that important, I can only say that it is the most important quality in the making of a film" - François Truffaut
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 20, 2008 at 9:28 PM
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colelamothe
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^^^I have to agree with you Tim, if people think that a trick is impromptu and dont think that you could have something set up then it has ten times the impact.
I agree, though you should make sure that you have tricks that can be performed without any preparation. Also, make sure that they're good tricks.
"To those who question whether clarity is all that important, I can only say that it is the most important quality in the making of a film" - François Truffaut
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 22, 2008 at 10:42 AM
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wildcard
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In the past I never did anything I had to set up. I just did stuff for kids here and there. If you can get someome to believe what you are doing is not set up then yeah you got a big impact.
Yes, that's what Darwin Ortiz in his books often calls "planned spontaneity". He defines it as anything that seems spontaneous to your audience, but was completely planned into the performance. For example, you might drop a card as you perform the pass. This would provide a distraction that would seem like a mistake, though it would allow you to complete the pass without any worries of being seen.
"To those who question whether clarity is all that important, I can only say that it is the most important quality in the making of a film" - François Truffaut
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 23, 2008 at 10:41 PM
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colelamothe
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It is an extremely important thing to be able to do is make everything seem RANDOM make it all seem as though it is right off of the top of your head and nothing was planned.
Hm... I don't think that there is a need to make everything seem random, as that would make your performance a little odd. Though I would say it's important to act natural. ( I don't want to get into a big argument about what is naturalness though..)
"To those who question whether clarity is all that important, I can only say that it is the most important quality in the making of a film" - François Truffaut
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 24, 2008 at 2:47 PM
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adamomagus
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Yeah, let's not argue about naturalness, out of all things to argue about . To act natural is very important, but when someone asks to see a trick and it seems impromptu, then that is very useful, but there's no need to show that every trick is. You subtly show this when you occasionally ask the spectator to shuffle the deck between tricks.
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 25, 2008 at 9:54 PM
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colelamothe
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One last point when i said random i meant when your naming something planned or doing something that you have already set up you want to make them think that it was off of the top of your head
Ah, ok. That's more what I think is good. Though you don't want to seem like everything is of your head. For example, if you have a story patter, or a "scientific" explanation for an effect, you don't want to make it seem like a total lie.
"To those who question whether clarity is all that important, I can only say that it is the most important quality in the making of a film" - François Truffaut
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Sep 27, 2008 at 2:41 PM
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docbrand
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Carry around more than one set of cards that look alike and then you don't have to worry about stacked, impromptu or gimmicked decks since you have them all with you.
"I hold a doctrine to which I owe much, indeed, but all the little I ever had, namely, that with ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance all things are attainable." - T.F. Buxton
Re: How much do you perform impromptu?
Posted On Oct 2, 2008 at 3:32 PM
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lotrmaster6
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I really like impromptu, but once in a while I'll stack cards whilst starting a trick. I say lets search the aces. So then I put the aces on top, then for example I take the kings with them without the audience noticing. I also like the idea of gimmicked cards, but I'm not really good at using them. Maybe I should just practise more .
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. To act natural is very important, but when someone asks to see a trick and it seems impromptu, then that is very useful, but there's no need to show that every trick is. You subtly show this when you occasionally ask the spectator to shuffle the deck between tricks.
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