Solitary Pass by Tom Stone, Sweden

[Guest]

A one handed pass, check out a video:

http://www.tomstone.se/solopass.wmv

The incredible move appears in Joshua Jay's column in MAGIC Magazine this month.

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing, I love Tom's work, he's very insightful in my experience. I hear Hermetic Press actually has a book of his coming out. Does anyone know if it includes the handling for sleights such as this?

[Tom Stone]

Originally posted by Drey:
I hear Hermetic Press actually has a book of his coming out. Does anyone know if it includes the handling for sleights such as this?

Hello Drey.
Yes, I and Stephen Minch are very close to the typesetting phase now. I only have one item left to illustrate.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your preference) it will be very little of these kinds of sleights. But there will be close-up routines and also a sizeable amount of parlour/stage effects.

Regarding the pass above, Stephen has provided me with the following info:

the pass mechanics, aside from the get-ready, are the same as
"The Vernon One-handed Shift" on p. 25 of "The Vernon Chronicles, Vol. 1".
By the way, Persi Diaconis informed me, after this book was published, that
this pass is actually Henry Christ's.

[Guest]

Thanks for the information Tom, I'll look forward to the book, your close up material was always pleasant. Can you offer us any details as to what kinds of material we can expect to see? Cards, coins etc.? Will it contain all material or some of your older material like Tracking Mr. Fogg as well?

I'm sure it will be excellent, I always appreciated your handling of many sleights, for example I changed my approach to the multiple shift after reading your description, so thanks.

As for the pass, it looks to me like a one-handed pass technique I've tested in my attempts to come out with a really good one handed pass, basically it was a one-handed turn-over pass. Out of curiosity, how practical do you find it? Based on the method I employed and on the video I suspect it's quite angle sensitive, do you find yourself using it much in practice or just resorting or other alternatives?

[Tom Stone]

Originally posted by Drey:
Can you offer us any details as to what kinds of material we can expect to see? Cards, coins etc.?

The whole lot actually. Ranging from quite brilliant stuff to really bad (but amusing) ideas. The best parts of the ebooks are included (Tracking Mr. Fogg as well), and a whole lot of other things, cards, coins, mentalism, stage/parlour.

Out of curiosity, how practical do you find it? Based on the method I employed and on the video I suspect it's quite angle sensitive, do you find yourself using it much in practice or just resorting or other alternatives?

Always other alternatives, as I myself don't judge it to be practical at all. Let me describe the background:

I spent a few days with Daryl in 1991, when he visited Gothenburg here in Sweden. One of the things he performed for me was a very funny ending to a Cannibals routine that used an Erdnase One-handed pass.

That got me thinking... An easy, angle-proof, one-handed pass would be extremely useful in table-hopping situations. Something that could be done in a loose manner, as the other hand provides something that has more interest. And also to get away from the "framing" that often happens during a normal pass.

This was the result in the end - an utter and complete failure on all accounts, judged by the goals I had tried to accieve.

So I rejected it as a useful techique, and have not thought much about it since. One failure of thousands, you know.

However, as it felt good in the hands, I found myself playing with it now and then, absent-minded. While watching TV etc. Like a relaxation thingie.

Last autumn I had coffee with Josh Jay during his tour in Sweden. Interesting conversation took place, and without thinking about it, I happened to do this pass at some point, and Josh asked me to do it again, and asked if he could use it. This was the same day I also got disturbing news about something else, so I totally forgot all about this later, and was quite surprised (but flattered) when it appeared in the magazine.

The clip above is a filmed practice session, and not a demonstration clip - that's why there are some odd things on it too. I put it up for a few friends who had expressed an interest in seeing it, then the link spread. The clip is the first time I've seen it done myself, and it looks a bit better than what I had imagined. Still, I have trouble to see any practical application to it, but there is a certain eye-candy aspect to it that I had been unaware of.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Tom Stone:
... Still, I have trouble to see any practical application to it, but there is a certain eye-candy aspect to it that I had been unaware of.

Perhaps this would prove useful when you replace the talon off centered a bit and sloppy and then when you are reaching for a handkerchief, pen...

The hand to hand transfer looks very good too.

[Guest]

Tom, I like it very much.I subscribe to Genii and

not Magic ( I can't afford both ) but when I saw

the clip I went and bought the issue it was in.

Mike

[Tom Stone]

Originally posted by Mike Walsh II:
Tom, I like it very much.

Thanks Mike :-)

If it's interesting, there's some more:
Eyecandy

[Guest]

lol, thanks Tom, I love it, you had me the first time on both the stealth reverse and the sneaky palm, nice misdirection, you've still got me on "snap snap". Thanks, it's always a pleasure.