The Genii Forum

The muscle pass is hard. Really really hard.

Is it that I am not talented?

Or do I not have the right sized hands?

Or is there is some trick that I don't know about?

If anyone can do it, I would love some hints.

:)

Nicholas,

You're right. The Muscle Pass is very hard. It can take a long time to acquire.

And then, when you've got it, there isn't that much you can do with it. (Not that that's stopped me from learning stuff before, but these days I try to be more practical. Really. I do.)

My suggestion, if you really want to learn it, is expect to work on it for about six months, daily.

Jeff

Nicholas, learning the Muscle Pass without having seen it is going to make it even more difficult--it really is a bitch to describe in print.
Have you tried watching any of the John Cornelius videotapes? I think Meir Yedid is selling them now. I would e-mail him and find out if Cornelius does the Muscle Pass on the tapes--if so, order it. You'll find it much easier to learn a sleight like the Muscle Pass if you can see what it's supposed to look like.
BUT BUT BUT ... it really does look the coin just shoots off your palm. I've been fiddling with it for years (not really trying to learn it, but fiddling) and I can't get the coin to rise more than an inch or two. But I have seen MANY guys get the coin to shoot through the air a foot or two!

I originally saw Ray Kosby do it on Wow! Its Ray Cosby in which Silver and Bone routine.

I have been using kennedy half dollars and i can do about one centremetre (less then half an inch)

As long as other people have trouble too, I will keep trying.

Nicholas,

I do my best to describe how to do it at www.coinvanish.com. Click the "foundations" section, answer the question to get in (its easy if you are familiar with coin magic) and scroll down to the muscle pass section.

Good luck.

Dan

One of the other things about the muscle pass is that it's tough to get the coin to shoot straight up, but somewhat easier to get it to go horizontally.

There's a trick I could've sworn was in in "David Roth's Expert Coin Magic" called the Slow Coin, which is more of a gag where you tell the spectator that this coin is old and just doesn't move as fast. You pretend to toss it to your other hand, they see nothing go, and then a moment later you muscle pass it across.

But I just spent a few minutes going through both Expert Coin Magic, and Coinmagic, and couldn't find it. Maybe someone else remembers where it's in print.

Jeff

Jeff,

I recall the same routine. I am sure its not in EXPERT COIN MAGIC, I don't have my books with me at work, but it may be in COINMAGIC in the section that has the coin thru a glass table by Cornelius. I am not sure about that.... but it's worth a check.

Dan

Me too but for some reason I'm associating Roger Klause with the effect so maybe check out his book. Also I have a feeling it might have been one of the Symposium books.

Frank Yuen

This may not be what you are thinking of but klause has a neat item with the muscle pass in the collected almanac title "soft muscle".

Noah Levine

I just checked out www.coinvanish.com and it had the best printed description of the muscle pass I have seen. Coloured pictures and all.

I think the muscle pass might be one of those moves that is so hard to do that people want to show off their talent rather than using it as a hidden sleight.

I guess that is the magician's ego.