"Read Teller's advice to help you learn magic!"

This advice comes from Teller of the famous magical duo Penn and Teller. His advice to beginners trying to learn magic is wonderful.

I wish I had this kind of advice when I was starting out to learn magic.

I came across this in Alt.Magic's FAQ. There are many hidden gems for the magician willing to dig for them. This was too good to keep hidden.

Teller's Advice on How to Learn Magic.

1. Read everything about magic that you can get your hands on. My favorite basic texts (and I consult them to this day) are, The Amateur Magician's Handbook, and Learn Magic by Henry Hay; Classic Secrets of Magic by Bruce Elliot; The Royal Road to Card Magic by Hugard and Braue; and Thirteen Steps to Mentalism by Tony Corinda. Chase them down.
2. Learn to do the cut and restored rope. Polish it so that you can absolutely mystify people with it. This is a great, great trick that will stand you in good stead. I still use it in our show (in a new form).
3. Learn some version of the Cups and Balls (there is a wonderful one-cup routine in the Bruce Elliot book above). #2 and #3 formed the basis of the act I did for years.
4. Wait 10 years before doing the Linking Rings. It's overdone just at this time in our history.
5. Learn a powerful trick for the ending to your show. Warning: production tricks are really hard and eat up all your time foldingsilks and fake flowers.
6. Remember you are a kid. You look like a kid. Don't think you'll fool people into thinking you are an old sage from the Himalayas.
7. Do a short act. Don't worry about getting paid yet. Do six minutes that is wonderful and amazing. You will be able to handle longer stints as the material develops.
8. The"Miser's Dream" is a really easy trick that's really hard to learn to do in a concise, entertaining way. Learn it. Learn to vary your methods. Learn to do it fast. Lots of coins, quickly, then a beat of comedy. Then more coins, then more comedy. Then an ending. Get hold of a videotape of Al Flosso doing the Miser's Dream. Watchhow entertaining that old coot is.
9. Perform as often as you can. You will never get good until you stand on stage for a zillion hours and learn how to do it for real. It's nice to daydream about grand effects, but if you get out there --by whatever means you have to use -- and perform, perform, perform, you will improve.
10. Behave towards your audience with sincere respect. You are not superior because you know a few tricks. They are the people you OWE a wonderful show to.
11. No matter how badly a show goes, remember it's just a show. Tomorrow there will be a different show and you can redeem yourself.
12. Make sure you remember all your ideas. Maybe some stink now only because you don't yet know enough to make them good. Ideas areprecious. Keep notes.
13. Stick with it. If you truly love what you are doing, you will love rehearsing, laboring, getting stage fright, wasting money, even failing. Love magic and your audience so powerfully that you are locked in the jaws of its love. When the cub scouts throw things, love the pain; it will teach you. Stick with it. Getting good takes, not weeks, not months, but years. Years. Be prepared.

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