Grays after spelling trick.

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » November 26th, 2017, 7:11 pm

I am quite pleased with the title of this thread which I just made up 10 seconds ago! The reason for it is that it is a follow up to Gray's Spelling Trick. You don't have to alter that trick in any way . Just do it the way you have always done it. I think it might be better to start a separate thread about it rather than disrupt the one about the ethics of telling lies which is making me queasy since I tell lies all the time. Now this idea is not my invention and I neither know nor care about who the bloody hell invented it. Ethics have never been a priority of mine since I am a scoundrel of the first magnitude so I won't be giving anyone any credit on the grounds that they will probably be dead anyway and won't care that much. And I don't know who the hell they are anyway. However, the brilliant idea of using it as a follow up to Gray's spelling trick is indeed all mine.

Anyway here it is. I am annotating the Royal Road to Card Magic and this is the annotation for that particular trick.
..............................................................................................................................................................................................

I have been doing this trick for decades and have found it to be very effective indeed. However, I discovered a follow on climax to this which seems to exceed in effect even the wonderful routine above.
If you refer back to my earlier description of the overhand shuffle glimpse in my last annotation you will see how this starts. At the conclusion of the above spelling effect I appear to go off in a sort of trance and go into an overhand shuffle. I stare off into space as if I am deep in thought about something. The audience will probably not pay much attention to this since they are still trying to process the surprise and puzzlement of the spelling trick they have just witnessed.
I glimpse the top card as described previously but I do not shuffle it to the bottom and back to the top again as described. Instead, I note the identity and silently run the cards one at a time into the left hand spelling one card for each letter of the glimpsed card. This top glimpsed card is run first into the left hand and then one card at a time after that until the card is spelled. The reason for the staring into space deep in thought is so you can mentally spell the card, one for each letter! After all, you can hardly do this while chattering to everyone!

When the stack of cards is spelled out simply replace them back on top of the deck. The position now is that the card in question is now at a position down in the pack where it can be spelled out to, one card for each letter. You can now finish off with an injog retaining the top stock as described in Chapter One.
You now ask the spectator if he would like to know how the previous spelling trick was done. You offer to teach it to him. Ask him to take the deck and imagine he is the magician and you are the audience. Instruct him to spread the cards between his hands and ask you to select a card. He follows this instruction and you remove one making sure it is well below the stack.
Tell him to ask you to replace it which of course you do, again making sure the card is placed well below the stack. Now tell him all he has to do is find your card! He will be a bit nonplussed by this so you offer to give him a clue by naming your card. Of course you say any card at all!

He will probably look a bit puzzled as to how to proceed at this point. He may even turn the pack face upwards to start to look for the card. If he doesn’t you can tell him to but then change your mind and say “here is a better way. Why don’t you spell the card just like I did before?”
He will do so and astonish himself by finding that he is the magician rather than you! The card you named will be there at the correct spelling position!

MagicbyAlfred
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Favorite Magician: Bill Malone
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Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby MagicbyAlfred » November 26th, 2017, 9:08 pm

Performer wrote: "He will be a bit nonplussed by this so you offer to give him a clue by naming your card. Of course you say any card at all!
He will probably look a bit puzzled as to how to proceed at this point. He may even turn the pack face upwards to start to look for the card. If he doesn’t you can tell him to but then change your mind and say “here is a better way. Why don’t you spell the card just like I did before?”
He will do so and astonish himself by finding that he is the magician rather than you! The card you named will be there at the correct spelling position!"

Thank you for sharing this, Performer! I can see how it is something that will have a devastatingly strong effect on a layman. It takes Gray's spelling to a whole new level. The one thing I am wondering about in your description, where you say, ""He will be a bit nonplussed by this so you offer to give him a clue by naming your card. Of course you say any card at all! "

You do mean that you say the card that you had glimpsed and set up previously to be spelled, correct?

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » November 26th, 2017, 10:03 pm

Now you have me worried that I am not explaining it with enough clarity. It is a murderous activity trying to write up sleights and tricks in as clear a manner as possible.

Uh oh! I have just realised that you are correct! I am glad I posted it here otherwise I would never have noticed the mistake. I shall have to correct it forthwith. I did indeed mean that I name the card glimpsed and set up.

However, the good thing is that I do not tell a lie at all in this trick as I thought I did! That means that jkeyes will be happy after all! Oh, wait a minute! Oh, sorry I got that wrong too! I just realised that I DO tell a lie during the trick since I miscall the name of the card I really selected.
Oh well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Last edited by performer on November 26th, 2017, 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » November 26th, 2017, 10:11 pm

Now I am in a state of paranoia wondering what other mistakes I have made in past chapters! I will worry about it some other time!

In any event try this addition. It makes the trick very powerful indeed as a follow up.

There is a related variation if you are any good at secretly loading cards into people's pockets. I am not too good at this but if I was I imagine it would be very powerful. It is not a spelling trick though. The presentation is exactly the same as the spelling trick in that you take a card. It follows exactly the same procedure the difference being that the spectator/magician finds the card in his pocket and amazes himself.

Jack Shalom
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Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby Jack Shalom » November 27th, 2017, 6:52 pm

Have someone, preferably two, proofread your work, Mark, before submitting it.

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » November 27th, 2017, 10:18 pm

Jack Shalom wrote:Have someone, preferably two, proofread your work, Mark, before submitting it.


I do have a literary spirit guide. I am guided by proofreading on the astral plane. No need to worry.

Jack Shalom
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Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby Jack Shalom » November 28th, 2017, 1:05 am

You'd be amazed how much English grammar you forget once on the astral plane.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » November 28th, 2017, 8:29 am

I have never been too fussed about grammar. It stifles creativity. I let things like grammar sink in subliminally. Osmosis if you will. I have seen writers write with such perfect grammar that they bore the crap out of you. They are concentrating on the grammar so much that the readability suffers. When three year olds learn a language they never fuss about grammar but they learn to speak it anyway. However, my spirit guide is very good at grammar. I shall therefore do the writing and let the astral plane take care of the grammar.

magicfish
Posts: 261
Joined: April 12th, 2008, 8:19 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby magicfish » December 1st, 2017, 12:36 am

performer wrote:I am quite pleased with the title of this thread which I just made up 10 seconds ago! The reason for it is that it is a follow up to Gray's Spelling Trick. You don't have to alter that trick in any way . Just do it the way you have always done it. I think it might be better to start a separate thread about it rather than disrupt the one about the ethics of telling lies which is making me queasy since I tell lies all the time. Now this idea is not my invention and I neither know nor care about who the bloody hell invented it. Ethics have never been a priority of mine since I am a scoundrel of the first magnitude so I won't be giving anyone any credit on the grounds that they will probably be dead anyway and won't care that much. And I don't know who the hell they are anyway. However, the brilliant idea of using it as a follow up to Gray's spelling trick is indeed all mine.

Anyway here it is. I am annotating the Royal Road to Card Magic and this is the annotation for that particular trick.
..............................................................................................................................................................................................

I have been doing this trick for decades and have found it to be very effective indeed. However, I discovered a follow on climax to this which seems to exceed in effect even the wonderful routine above.
If you refer back to my earlier description of the overhand shuffle glimpse in my last annotation you will see how this starts. At the conclusion of the above spelling effect I appear to go off in a sort of trance and go into an overhand shuffle. I stare off into space as if I am deep in thought about something. The audience will probably not pay much attention to this since they are still trying to process the surprise and puzzlement of the spelling trick they have just witnessed.
I glimpse the top card as described previously but I do not shuffle it to the bottom and back to the top again as described. Instead, I note the identity and silently run the cards one at a time into the left hand spelling one card for each letter of the glimpsed card. This top glimpsed card is run first into the left hand and then one card at a time after that until the card is spelled. The reason for the staring into space deep in thought is so you can mentally spell the card, one for each letter! After all, you can hardly do this while chattering to everyone!

When the stack of cards is spelled out simply replace them back on top of the deck. The position now is that the card in question is now at a position down in the pack where it can be spelled out to, one card for each letter. You can now finish off with an injog retaining the top stock as described in Chapter One.
You now ask the spectator if he would like to know how the previous spelling trick was done. You offer to teach it to him. Ask him to take the deck and imagine he is the magician and you are the audience. Instruct him to spread the cards between his hands and ask you to select a card. He follows this instruction and you remove one making sure it is well below the stack.
Tell him to ask you to replace it which of course you do, again making sure the card is placed well below the stack. Now tell him all he has to do is find your card! He will be a bit nonplussed by this so you offer to give him a clue by naming your card. Of course you say any card at all!

He will probably look a bit puzzled as to how to proceed at this point. He may even turn the pack face upwards to start to look for the card. If he doesn’t you can tell him to but then change your mind and say “here is a better way. Why don’t you spell the card just like I did before?”
He will do so and astonish himself by finding that he is the magician rather than you! The card you named will be there at the correct spelling position!

Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Just a thought, the "trance" isn't necessary. Using Aronson's method for Marlo's Flash Speller, you most certainly could do it while chattering to everyone.
Anyway, thanks again. I like it.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » December 1st, 2017, 9:33 am

I prefer to go into trances. I have no interest in fancy methods written up after 1954. Besides it gives them a chance to chatter about how wonderful I am.

magicfish
Posts: 261
Joined: April 12th, 2008, 8:19 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby magicfish » December 1st, 2017, 7:53 pm

Nothing fancy about it.
You can instantly know how many letters (cards) are required to spell the glimpsed card.
But trances are fun too.
To each his own.
'54 was a good year, but '53 was better. We won the FA Cup in '53.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » December 1st, 2017, 8:46 pm

I already know how many cards it takes. I have done that old spelling trick for years. It is usually twelve cards down and variations thereof. I haven't the time nor inclination to do mental shenanigans when performing otherwise I would end up as boring as everyone else.

In any event I have just spent two hours of torture annotating different ideas for the Royal Road to Card Magic and it has already driven me up the wall. I am not going to write up any more variations and torture myself further particularly if I have never used that variation myself. It has just dawned on me that I dislike writing up technical prose explaining which finger goes where and what card goes in what position etc;

I shall be very sparing in literary matters in future which depend on technical descriptions. I can do it reasonably well but it bores the crap out of me. It reminds me of the time I used to do the horoscopes for Irish newspapers.

Anyway I am up to Chapter six. Hopefully I will finish the book before the Erdnase thread comes to an end. But of course that might be several years.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Grays after spelling trick.

Postby performer » December 3rd, 2017, 7:45 pm

I have just written up one of my cherished routines in the Royal Road. It is the annotated version of Now You See It. I must be insane giving it away. Still, doing this book is making me insane anyway. If I am insane enough I might reproduce it here. On the other hand I might not. Now You may See it Or now you won't.


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