The Clipshift by Chad Nelson. Ridiculously hard to do right, and some would say not worth the effort. When it is performed correctly though, it is an utterly beautiful sleight of hand piece.
Once again, the internet and its forums have been plagued with children posting up crappy performances of this wonderful sleight. There ARE people who post up videos, though, that actually can do it. And everyone runs around praising these people, then the same praise giving runners post up videos of their performances, which in comparison to other people’s videos are dire. How can they not see that they simply cannot do the move?? They ask for feedback and tips to improve, which when occasionally are given, are not listened to.
The mind boggles.
BUT, if you are learning the Clipshift, try out some of the following tips. The following things are mentioned on the Surfaced DVD, but are often overlooked -- as with so many sleights.
Tip #1 - The position of the deck.
It is important the deck is held in the correct position before you even do anything. Do not hold the deck too far to the left. A good guide is to look at where your little finger lies. The corner of the pack should be resting at the middle phalange of the little finger. If it is too far to the left, you are going to have difficulties later.
Now lets take a look at the thumb. It should be at the end of the pack, holding it in the centre. I have found the sleight to be easier if the thumb holds the deck in the middle of the tip of the thumb. Not on the crease of the thumb, which is the way I originally learnt it, but to move it towards the tip of the thumb a little more. This will give you more movement to the deck when you try to shift the card around the corner, which means less strain in your hand.
Tip #2 - The index finger.
At no point in the whole sleight should the index finger put any pressure onto the top of the deck. At first, it is very tempting to do so when you have the card clipped between the middle and ring fingers. It is hard to clear the clipped card from the deck, let alone trying to shift it around the corner of the pack, so the temptation is to push the deck out of the way with the index finger.
This is, again, the way I learnt it incorrectly. After some personal, in the flesh, 1 on 1 teaching from Dave Buck (awesome?) he told me what I was doing wrong. If you have learnt the Clipshift using the index finger to push the deck out of the way, it is incorrect. It slows the sleight down. It still works, but not as well as doing it correctly.
Instead of pushing it with the index finger, you are going to need to really stretch your hand. You will feel the back of your hand straining quite hard to get the card to clear the pack. Just keep practising this part very slowly, and after a while the pain will go away, and you will be doing it with ease.
Tip #3 - Replacing the card.
At first, people seem to think this is easy to do. But getting the card to lie dead straight with the rest of the deck is very hard. Do not be afraid to use your ring and little fingers to pivot the card on your index finger. The index finger does not need to do all the work when replacing the card, get the other two involved by simply bringing them back to their original position on the top edge of the pack.
This will make for a faster replacement.
One last tip I can think of is to not have your hand tensed up. Hold the cards lightly! This doesn't just apply for the Clipshift, but for all sleight of hand. Just hold them lightly. They are flimsy pieces of card, no need to have some death metal grip on them the whole time.
A light touch when replacing the card will also reduce the friction between the card being replaced and the original top card of the deck. Too much friction, and the original top card will slide out and be left sticking out of the left side of the pack for all to see.
Sunday 17 May 2009
Saturday 16 May 2009
The Diagonal Palm Shift
The Diagonal Palm Shift by S.W Erdnase. It can be learnt for free by downloading Expert At The Card Table from Erdnase.com.
But what does it look like?! You really should all know, and I can't be arsed to type it into youtube. Although, in the time it took me to write these last two sentences, I could have probably found a decent video of the DPS.
Anyway... after using and loving this beautiful sleight for a long old while, Jason England blessed us with a video teaching it on Theory11.com. Now, Mr.England
Hard to get hold of a copy nowadays, but there was nothing original on the DVD that made it worth buying. The reason I bought it was for the Riffle Stacking Tips and the McMillan Switch.
Unfortunately, the Riffle Stacking Tips turned out to be a single Riffle Stacking Tip, that is quite good, but it uses an idea originally thought up by Sadowitz in Cut Controls with no credit. The Advanced Riffle Stacking Tips are very good, but very non-original. It was again taken straight from Jerry Sadowitz from Thanks To Zarrow.
But yeah, this wasn't meant to be a post about bashing Jason England, I've got a lot of respect for the guy, even if he is selling other peoples stuff... further proved by Theory11.
Back on topic!! Ok, the DPS... In the original as published in EATCT, it is suggested that the left index finger is curled on the bottom of the deck and only straightened to get the card into palm. Ok, fair enough. It will do the job. BUT, it will give you masses of fingers flashing underneath the deck.
What is it with gamblers and finger flashing?? If you are manipulating cards, your fingers are going to be moving around. Erdnase's Bottom Deal has a shit load of finger flashing, as does the DPS. Or rather, the original DPS.
Jason England seems to think that after the publishing of EATCT, no one has added anything to the DPS. Kind of ironic then that he gives his tips and his very minor variations to a move that was supposedly "perfected" over a decade ago, and then sells them for 10 bucks!
I'm sorry, I need to stop bashing Jason's work, as I really DO have respect for the guy, however little I show of it...
But anyway, to stop the annoying finger flashing on any sleight there is only one thing that you need to do, and strangely enough, it is to STOP MOVING YOUR DAMN FINGERS!!
DO NOT straighten out your index finger to get the card into palm. After the card has been left protruding from the pack, extend your index finger to the side of the deck, by the right hand top corner of the pack, next to the other three fingers. Now when you are doing the DPS, the only finger that needs to be moved is the little finger as it curls in to get the card into palm. Luckily, there is a big deck of cards and two hands covering that little finger, so nobody can see it moving from any angle.
Also, angle the deck so that the top edge is facing towards the spectators eyes. This is going to make the whole thing utterly invisible, and you will not need to worry about people on your right, contrary to what Mr. England says (damn it).
Another issue with the original is that Erdnase says to carry on pushing the angled card down the side of the deck with the index finger. I have found that the left thumb can take over as soon as the index finger gets to the top edge of the deck. This reduces a lot of the unneeded movement for the sleight.
Another thing to watch with the left thumb is that as the card is being extracted, the left thumb needs to slide over the right thumb, making sure you do not stick out your left thumb. To the spectators, you have pushed a card in and have squared up the deck with your thumb on one side and fingers on the other. This means you need to keep the left thumb in contact with the left edge of the card the whole time. That will make a huge difference when learning the DPS.
There is not much more to say on this particular sleight. Erdnase explains it brilliantly and it can be learnt just fine from the original source, which is FREE, for all you tight ass monkeys.
And strangely, I haven't found any YouTube videos on the DPS that make me want to rip my fucking eye balls out. I will leave you with a video, though...
But what does it look like?! You really should all know, and I can't be arsed to type it into youtube. Although, in the time it took me to write these last two sentences, I could have probably found a decent video of the DPS.
Anyway... after using and loving this beautiful sleight for a long old while, Jason England blessed us with a video teaching it on Theory11.com. Now, Mr.
Hard to get hold of a copy nowadays, but there was nothing original on the DVD that made it worth buying. The reason I bought it was for the Riffle Stacking Tips and the McMillan Switch.
Unfortunately, the Riffle Stacking Tips turned out to be a single Riffle Stacking Tip, that is quite good, but it uses an idea originally thought up by Sadowitz in Cut Controls with no credit. The Advanced Riffle Stacking Tips are very good, but very non-original. It was again taken straight from Jerry Sadowitz from Thanks To Zarrow.
But yeah, this wasn't meant to be a post about bashing Jason England, I've got a lot of respect for the guy, even if he is selling other peoples stuff... further proved by Theory11.
Back on topic!! Ok, the DPS... In the original as published in EATCT, it is suggested that the left index finger is curled on the bottom of the deck and only straightened to get the card into palm. Ok, fair enough. It will do the job. BUT, it will give you masses of fingers flashing underneath the deck.
What is it with gamblers and finger flashing?? If you are manipulating cards, your fingers are going to be moving around. Erdnase's Bottom Deal has a shit load of finger flashing, as does the DPS. Or rather, the original DPS.
Jason England seems to think that after the publishing of EATCT, no one has added anything to the DPS. Kind of ironic then that he gives his tips and his very minor variations to a move that was supposedly "perfected" over a decade ago, and then sells them for 10 bucks!
I'm sorry, I need to stop bashing Jason's work, as I really DO have respect for the guy, however little I show of it...
But anyway, to stop the annoying finger flashing on any sleight there is only one thing that you need to do, and strangely enough, it is to STOP MOVING YOUR DAMN FINGERS!!
DO NOT straighten out your index finger to get the card into palm. After the card has been left protruding from the pack, extend your index finger to the side of the deck, by the right hand top corner of the pack, next to the other three fingers. Now when you are doing the DPS, the only finger that needs to be moved is the little finger as it curls in to get the card into palm. Luckily, there is a big deck of cards and two hands covering that little finger, so nobody can see it moving from any angle.
Also, angle the deck so that the top edge is facing towards the spectators eyes. This is going to make the whole thing utterly invisible, and you will not need to worry about people on your right, contrary to what Mr. England says (damn it).
Another issue with the original is that Erdnase says to carry on pushing the angled card down the side of the deck with the index finger. I have found that the left thumb can take over as soon as the index finger gets to the top edge of the deck. This reduces a lot of the unneeded movement for the sleight.
Another thing to watch with the left thumb is that as the card is being extracted, the left thumb needs to slide over the right thumb, making sure you do not stick out your left thumb. To the spectators, you have pushed a card in and have squared up the deck with your thumb on one side and fingers on the other. This means you need to keep the left thumb in contact with the left edge of the card the whole time. That will make a huge difference when learning the DPS.
There is not much more to say on this particular sleight. Erdnase explains it brilliantly and it can be learnt just fine from the original source, which is FREE, for all you tight ass monkeys.
And strangely, I haven't found any YouTube videos on the DPS that make me want to rip my fucking eye balls out. I will leave you with a video, though...
Tuesday 12 May 2009
The Jones Change
The Jones Change by Dan and Dave Buck. It can be learnt for free on YouTube, taught by the authors (p.1) (p.2).
Pretty, ain't it?! And yes, it is as hard as it looks. Well, it's hard if you want to do it the way it SHOULD be performed, not so hard if you want it to look terrible -- which I presume is what people want it to look like, seeing as every video on YouTube of this change is fucking appalling.
Even the videos posted up where people say it is "cool" and "smooth", they really aren't. You can see that the person in the video has practised it for quite some time, and they must presume that after a certain amount of practise, everything must look brilliant.
The videos on YouTube, or even just the videos I've seen, are not smooth. There is too much emphasis on the twirl, too much wrist action with the spin which builds up too the actual change not looking as good as it can be.
And don't give me that crap about "variations" and "improvements". Variations from kids on YouTube on published effects are only filmed because they cannot be bothered to learn the actual trick and will take shortcuts to come out with something that looks vaguely similar to the actual effect, only less practise, so that they can look cool in front of their internet buddies. TiVo 2.0 springs immediately to mind.
So, being the kind Mr. Internet Man that I am (poet), I will bless the interweb communities with some tips on the Jones Change that I have found through my Jones Adventure. I am not doing this for you though, I am doing it for me so I don't have to sit through anymore cringe-worthy Jones Change videos.
Tip - The Twirl:
A common pitfall is the speed of the twirl. People will either do it too fast, or too slow. A crazed out idea that I thought might work is to try and copy the speed at which Dave teaches it in the video? This is probably the prettiest part and I might even say one of the hardest parts of the change, The Twirl.
Another idea is to bend the card concavely whilst doing the twirl. That is, bend the card in towards the palm of your hand. This gives the twirl a more streamlined look and will only add to the smooth appearance.
The last tip I can give on the twirl is the movements you are doing with your wrist. After the initial 360 degree twirl, your palm should be facing the ceiling. Immediately start turning your palm back down toward the floor whilst completing the last 180 degree twirl in the opposite direction. Once you have completed the twirl, your palm and the back of the card should be parallel with the floor. All in the same rhythm, turn you palm back up toward the ceiling. The card is stationary in your hand, but your actual wrist is moving, giving the appearance the card is still moving.
You should be in the position of displaying the card to the spectators at this point.
Tip - The Change part_1:
In the video, as you display the card to the spectators it is suggested that you clip the bottom corners of the card between the middle fingertip and the base of the thumb. I have found that this makes my hand look tensed up and is slightly more uncomfortable than clamping the card between the middle finger and the pad at the base of the index finger. This means a more open display of the card, without the tensing up.
The card should be displayed at a 45 degree angle. This makes for a longer and wider spin of the card when you are getting it into Tenkai.
When you are displaying the double, press your thumb into the back, at the bottom, in the centre. This will bend the card outwards, which will help a lot later on when you are trying to get the card into Tenkai.
Another thing, the spin of the card as it pivots between your thumb and index finger should be done as slowly as possible. It is a beautiful moment, that’s two cards spinning there, in perfect harmony. SELL that moment, because that sure as hell looks like only one card to me.
Tip - The Change part_2:
There's not much to say here really as the video goes over everything perfectly. One thing I will say, though, as you are displaying the changed card, the card in Tenkai should be hidden behind the back of the hand and should bend around behind the index finger. This means that you don't have to clamp all your fingers together, almost screaming at the audience that you have a card hidden somewhere in your hand. Open those fingers baby, let them see all they want to see!!
Thoughts
I can't think of much more to say on the change. The above tips are things I have found independently and work for me, but might not for you. I urge you all to give them a try though; it can't hurt trying out a few bits of advice.
I will post a video up soon on the Jones Change, so you can see them happening and not just imagine them.
For now, though, I will leave you with the epitome of crap Jones Change videos.
Pretty, ain't it?! And yes, it is as hard as it looks. Well, it's hard if you want to do it the way it SHOULD be performed, not so hard if you want it to look terrible -- which I presume is what people want it to look like, seeing as every video on YouTube of this change is fucking appalling.
Even the videos posted up where people say it is "cool" and "smooth", they really aren't. You can see that the person in the video has practised it for quite some time, and they must presume that after a certain amount of practise, everything must look brilliant.
The videos on YouTube, or even just the videos I've seen, are not smooth. There is too much emphasis on the twirl, too much wrist action with the spin which builds up too the actual change not looking as good as it can be.
And don't give me that crap about "variations" and "improvements". Variations from kids on YouTube on published effects are only filmed because they cannot be bothered to learn the actual trick and will take shortcuts to come out with something that looks vaguely similar to the actual effect, only less practise, so that they can look cool in front of their internet buddies. TiVo 2.0 springs immediately to mind.
So, being the kind Mr. Internet Man that I am (poet), I will bless the interweb communities with some tips on the Jones Change that I have found through my Jones Adventure. I am not doing this for you though, I am doing it for me so I don't have to sit through anymore cringe-worthy Jones Change videos.
Tip - The Twirl:
A common pitfall is the speed of the twirl. People will either do it too fast, or too slow. A crazed out idea that I thought might work is to try and copy the speed at which Dave teaches it in the video? This is probably the prettiest part and I might even say one of the hardest parts of the change, The Twirl.
Another idea is to bend the card concavely whilst doing the twirl. That is, bend the card in towards the palm of your hand. This gives the twirl a more streamlined look and will only add to the smooth appearance.
The last tip I can give on the twirl is the movements you are doing with your wrist. After the initial 360 degree twirl, your palm should be facing the ceiling. Immediately start turning your palm back down toward the floor whilst completing the last 180 degree twirl in the opposite direction. Once you have completed the twirl, your palm and the back of the card should be parallel with the floor. All in the same rhythm, turn you palm back up toward the ceiling. The card is stationary in your hand, but your actual wrist is moving, giving the appearance the card is still moving.
You should be in the position of displaying the card to the spectators at this point.
Tip - The Change part_1:
In the video, as you display the card to the spectators it is suggested that you clip the bottom corners of the card between the middle fingertip and the base of the thumb. I have found that this makes my hand look tensed up and is slightly more uncomfortable than clamping the card between the middle finger and the pad at the base of the index finger. This means a more open display of the card, without the tensing up.
The card should be displayed at a 45 degree angle. This makes for a longer and wider spin of the card when you are getting it into Tenkai.
When you are displaying the double, press your thumb into the back, at the bottom, in the centre. This will bend the card outwards, which will help a lot later on when you are trying to get the card into Tenkai.
Another thing, the spin of the card as it pivots between your thumb and index finger should be done as slowly as possible. It is a beautiful moment, that’s two cards spinning there, in perfect harmony. SELL that moment, because that sure as hell looks like only one card to me.
Tip - The Change part_2:
There's not much to say here really as the video goes over everything perfectly. One thing I will say, though, as you are displaying the changed card, the card in Tenkai should be hidden behind the back of the hand and should bend around behind the index finger. This means that you don't have to clamp all your fingers together, almost screaming at the audience that you have a card hidden somewhere in your hand. Open those fingers baby, let them see all they want to see!!
Thoughts
I can't think of much more to say on the change. The above tips are things I have found independently and work for me, but might not for you. I urge you all to give them a try though; it can't hurt trying out a few bits of advice.
I will post a video up soon on the Jones Change, so you can see them happening and not just imagine them.
For now, though, I will leave you with the epitome of crap Jones Change videos.
Friday 1 May 2009
Welcomes!
Hello, one and alls, to my blog. It has got nothing on it yet, obviously, seeing as this is the first ever post and I made this blog out of boredom, about, 5 minutes ago? This is not the point though.
If you have found this site then congrats, you truley have bragging rights over you peers. Here, have 10 internets.
Anyway, on this blogovich you will find anything that interests me really. Magic, Music and something else that begins with an 'M' to make it complete. Monkeys?
There you go, see how wacky I am!? Crazy stuff. You never know what you're going to get really. Want a picture of a Monkey?? BAM!! You got it!
Now I regret calling my aweome blog Gimmickless. What the hell? What was I thinking? TripleM would be awesome. Or MagicMusicAndMaybeSomeCuteAssMonkeys. Hmm.
Anyway, lets wrap up with up with the Philosophical Route In Complete Kaos (Chaos spelt wrong to make the incredibly clever Acronym, PRICK)
Why do we have stripy tooth-paste, and not stripy paint?
I'll leave it to you...
If you have found this site then congrats, you truley have bragging rights over you peers. Here, have 10 internets.
Anyway, on this blogovich you will find anything that interests me really. Magic, Music and something else that begins with an 'M' to make it complete. Monkeys?
There you go, see how wacky I am!? Crazy stuff. You never know what you're going to get really. Want a picture of a Monkey?? BAM!! You got it!
Now I regret calling my aweome blog Gimmickless. What the hell? What was I thinking? TripleM would be awesome. Or MagicMusicAndMaybeSomeCuteAssMonkeys. Hmm.
Anyway, lets wrap up with up with the Philosophical Route In Complete Kaos (Chaos spelt wrong to make the incredibly clever Acronym, PRICK)
Why do we have stripy tooth-paste, and not stripy paint?
I'll leave it to you...
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