One of the most popular "compliment" people like to give to magicians is, "Wa, fast hands!"

And I suppose it's one of those that made us don't know how to react. It's a compliment but it's not the kind of compliment we are looking for (at least not from a layperson). Should we thank him, and thus acknowledging the fact that "yah, it was fast hands only loh.." or should we try to prove that the magic is not just about "fast hands".

I kinda suspect most of us will go for the latter, so my question is what would you do or say to dispel the "fast hands" notion from his mind?

I hate that compliment, but I will still acknowledge it la. :lol: :lol:

Slow it down. Sometimes magicians tend to perform effects far too quickly. Especially if you're those who just want to get it over and done with type.

Sorry, maybe I didn't make myself clear. "Fast hands" in this context is not that you are going so fast that the spectators didn't see what's going on but rather it is when you successfully performed a effect and the spectators (impressed) contributed it to fast hands, instead of magic.

Yes i absolutely agree with that because i have also experienced the same compliment of "wahh..your hands are super fast!". Well, I have also tried to do the trick in a very slow motion etc ambitious card routine, yet they still say "how come your hands are so fast that we can't even see?"

Sometimes, I have also explained to them that doing magic is not necessary to have fast hands too. Well, different type of audience have different kinds of comments to be made. To me, I will answer them "....because its MAGIC!" :)

Hmm, wat's so wrong about fast hands?

What would be a nice compliment then? I suppose you won't want your audience to really believe you have supernatural powers or made a pact with the devil, right?

Even if what they say is not really true, there is no denying that it is done with skills - and they are praising you for that.

Tell them its not the hands that is faster than the eye, its the eye that is slower than the hands. ;)

Me too hate that comment.Erm i always say "i will do it slower then you try it" :lol: :lol: always work!

Actually I think most magicians would like the audience to believe that something magical and supernatural just happened in front of their eyes. Hence some of us here don't like the "fast hands" comment.

I like this answer.

I do get the "fast hands" comment a lot when performing simple coin effects even when performing in slow motion. Might have nothing to do with the speed and everything to do with the way the effect is carried out. E.g. If the effects appear as being sleight of hand effects. you don't get the same comment when performing mentalism effects, coin through soda, etc. Coins disappearing from one hand to the other or cards repeatedly surfacing at the top may come across as just being fancy sleights to some spectators.

I guess it would be good if you can disguise the sleight effects in a way that it does not appear to be a sleight of hand effect (even if it really is) from the spectator's view. Do not flame me for this, but I feel that doing too many fancy florishes before hand will give the spectator the impression that you have "fast hands" when you perform your magic.

i felt that fast not good, smooth then will be best.

anyone had seen JC Sum do his oil and water, so smooth but not fast, like oil, right.

if my skill like his wow, wow...today i still felt my skill as "water", yes "water skin" in chinese we called that.. :P

Hmm... I suppose you don't want people to praise your looks when you are singing or praise your body when you are acting, right?

If a fellow magician praises me for my "fast hands", that would be a compliment. But for a layman to praise me for that, it will mean I didn't do enough to make him suspend his belief. In short, my magic failed.

End of the day, which reaction would we prefer?

1. "Wow! That's so clever... (or fast)!"
2. "Wow! That's so amazing! How you did that?"

Nothing wrong with people thinking you have some supernatural power, you can always explain it away. But the question is: "How many people did you really manage to get them think this way?" If nobody ever think that for your magic, then you really shouldn't be worried about that.

I once had this 'fast hands' comments from a friend in the temple. I remembered asking him why he said that. He said that he always thought magicians had fast hands, and that's how the magic works. So as long as the magic surprised him, he would say: Wow, you have fast hands!!

So sometimes, its not because of you, its the set mentality that causes them to think "fast hands" the moment they see some impossible things happen.

That being said, I notice that the pace and presentation does affect whether the person watching the magic think fast hands.

An example:

Doing a DL and immediately thereafter turning over the card to reveal the card has transformed will earn the 'fast hands compliments'. On the other hand, doing a DL, then asking the person to hold on to it, then asking him/her to think of the card. Thereafter allow them to turn the card over themself and see that the card has transformed earns a wow and the 'how did you do that' kind of compliment...

A.

Actually, the devil told me not to let people know about my supernatural powers...

Opps, you broke your pact...

When someone compliment about your fast hands, they are most likely complimenting about your skills. So they are complimenting the right thing because magic IS done by sleight of hand (at least for most card tricks).

A response like "HOW on EARTH did you do that?" only says "I am fooled." "I am amazed." "My logic is messed up." "I can't explain whats happening". They only acknowledge that the magician has accomplished his goal of deceiving his audience. BUT with what? With the secret that I know of but you don't know? OR ultimately, skills? SO whats so bad about comments like fast hands?

Sorry, but I really beg to differ.

If the spec said, "Wow, how did you do that?". They are responding to the fact that whatever they saw defied their logic. No possible explanation other than "MAGIC". I think that's the realm that a magician really wants to bring the audience to.

I do not think we really need the spec to know how skilful we are, we are not footballers. We really need to let them know how things can turn magical in our hands.

When people starts to think of a magician as "skilful", whatever magic he conjures tend to lose it's "magical" feel. Then he'll be relegated to a level like a flourisher (sorry flourishers, I love you all too), skilful but not magical.

Try asking JC Sum if he like the fast hands comment or he prefers the "wow, how you do that" comment.

I got to agree fully with muscleaxl on this one.

It all depends on what you want the audience to see and experience.

If you want the audience to see something magical and supernatural, then the "fast hand" compliment is not really a compliment.

If you are performing gambling routines, the "fast hands" will really be a compliment, cos you are showing the audience your gambling skills.

Guess you had been performing to some "tough" audience. Audience who are so stuck to the harsh reality that they already lost the ability to enjoy magic, and to believe in magic.

I think utlimately we would want the audience to experience something magical. We don't really want them to know how skillful we are, that's not what we are trying to do here. All we want is to make them wonder...even for a second! Make them wonder and believe that magic is real. Make them believe the harsh and solid reality can be twisted, then you can see something very special.

Back to the question by axl. Most of us would rather try to convince the audience that magic is really happening. Not technique, but magic. Although I'm still very new to magic, but from what i have seen and learned, i think some things can be done to really convince them.

Stuff like coin tricks, card intensive tricks, cup & balls tricks are usually done with alot of hand movements (duh~! haha). Therefore, its really natural for audiences to connect those movements to hiding or switching stuff, no matter how slow you do it because thats the only avenue their minds can bring them to without threading onto the "supernatural" grounds. I feel it will be really pointless to try to convince them with more tricks that still involve hand movements (in movements, i mean like shuffling, cutting, springing of cards, moving the cups, handling coins etc...), even if they are strong and visual. I remember in the past, before i started magic, i used to think my friends who performed magic to me had fast hands too. Until one day, a friend performed the invisible deck, the idea of a paranormal force dawned upon me. But only briefly so, before gravity pulled me back to earth, and to the stubborn idea that there has to be some earthly method in which he did it. Can't blame me, Singaporeans as we are, are one tough nut to crack. But yeah, it is undeniable that it did bring sense of wonder.

Personally I think tricks that don't involve the hands, or require the audience themselves to take part or "perform" the trick would be a very good trump card to throw them off the "fast-hands" notion. Mentalism effects would do the job, i guess.

Actually, now as i'm typing this, there are a couple of effects that popped put of my mind that should be able to do the job of convincing the audience. Effects like sinful or spoon bending should get quite a good response, although i still have not learned the effects. They can't possibly say you opened the can, threw the coin in and sealed it back in a split second, so fast that their eyes can't catch right? For me, the invisible deck does the job for me all the time. The audience response is always "OMG, thats freaky." I think that kinda response is good enough for me, for now.

I believe that patter would have alot to do with the response too. The approach of "Look look, see what I can do" ala Blaine style is going to warrant alot of fast hands comments rather than astonishment.

However, if the effect can be presented in a manner that rules out "fast hands or trickery", then the spectator will be forced to believe that something impossible has happened. I think the way the effect is built is also very important.

Take the 3 Shell Game as an example, initially, the spectator can be lead to believe that the pea is being switched around very quickly by sleight of hand. However, when the finale comes and the spectator covers the pea himself with the shell and a shotglass (or anything similar) and the pea still makes its way out, he'll be left with no other explanation other than something astonishing just occurred.

Hi guys,

In my experience so far performing for my friends, the best compliment i FEEL was not 'fast hands'. It was: After perform a string of effects. My friends just remained silent, looked at me and smile.

Then AFTERWARDS when we meet up with others or other people joined our group, the previous friend/ spec will ask me to perform for that new guy. I feel it can only mean that he enjoyed the magic and wanted to share that to others by requesting for another performance.

I don't know, maybe it's the presentation. Somehow all the reactions i got (so far la) is the silent delayed one. :lol:

PS: the best compliment was performing stigmata to a friend and after that he stared at me with large eyes and quietly muttered 'C*** B**' (those really soft and whispering curse type)while shaking his head slowly. I slept with a big grin that night haha :lol:

To an extent the audience need to have a reason for magic to happen. And for them to comtempt themselves with the reason 'fast hands', I say we have failed. Because, fast hands, isnt really magic in its definition.

But I guess its all the subtle fancier ways of handling your props that slowly attributes to this belief.

:blink: So you are trying to convince people you are doing, I assume, real magic? Wouldn't that be as bad as saying you are really a psychic when performing mentalism. (I don't play on people's emotions and other unethical stuff; just claiming I am a true psychic. ) Would that be right then?:huh:

In fact, many magicians don't hide the fact that they ARE using sleight of hands. Just watch a few show clips on youtube and you would see a few top of the line magicians introduced as expert sleight of hand artist in the program. (David Roth, David Acer, just to name a few) . Ricky Jay too, calls himself a sleight of hand artist. Derek Dingle would be a famed example as a manipulator. So what are your views? :)

It might sound off topic but i believe the crux of the issue is skill vs. magic, which is, I think, much debated.

I don't think there is anything unethical if you entertain your audience and let them experience "real magic". We are here just to entertain the audience. If you are using your magic to sell some magic stone that can cure cancer to the old uncles and aunties, then you are doing something unethical.

Yup, it's true that a lot of magician claimed to be sleight of hand artist. Cos they want the audiences to see the miracles that can be accomplished with "fast hands". Hence the "fast hands" will really be a compliment to them.
However there are other magicians that want the audience to experience something magical instead.

For example there is this trick where the a couple signed 2 different cards and the magician fused the 2 signed cards into one double face card. Would you want to give the impression that the trick was accomplished due to sleight of hands, or would you want the audience to believe that the love of the couple is so strong that the cards fused together?

I believe most magician would want the couple to believe that their love is so strong that they can bend the laws of physics. If the couple said "wow you have really fast hands!” I'm sure the magician will feel very disappointed. Cos the magician failed to let his audience experience the "magic of love".

Hi Ace.

So now you are messing up with people's believes and planting something untrue in their mind!!! :angry: I don't see that any better than someone who insist they are psychic.

And anyway, if you are doing magic, why would you use cards anyway? Since you ARE trying to achieve a sense of REAL magic, then wouldn't you be using something else other than cards, which is SO closely related to gambling, cheating and sleight of hand?

Your example of fusing the 2 signed card is not valid, because it doesn't use sleight of hand to accomplish the "fusing" effect, so comments like "fast hands" is very unlikely to come out.

Hi Icy.

Sometime after performing a strong effect, audiences will ask me:" Is that real? How did that happened?!"

I'll just say "Wanna see some more?" or I'll just smile and say nothing.

At no point in time I claimed that I am the real thing, the real psychic. It's all in their mind.

Yes, I'm messing with the reality they had in mind. I'm sure most magician here did that before.

Have you ask yourself why are you doing this? Why are you showing magic to people?

Is it to show them how good your sleight of hand is?

For me that's not the point. I'm not trying to show people how fast my hands are or how great mysleight of hand is. Yes, when I just started out magic that's what I wanted, to show people what I can do, to show off my skills.

But after one incident, I knew that's not what I want.

Do you know why we are doing this? Cos after every magic performance, you can see the look on the audience’s face. The smile on their face is priceless.

Reality is harsh, solid all the way through. If by messing with the reality they had in their mind can bring a smile to their face, I'll do it. If "real magic" can bring laughter to them, I'll do it. People can say it's unethical, so be it. I'll still be willing to perform "real magic" to my audience even if some people said it is unethical.

Yup, I thought of using examples like mind reading effects, but since we are talking about sleight of hands here, it's better to use an example that can be explained using sleight of hands and yet looks like real magic.

Btw the effect still requires some sleights. The gimmick is not self working. So it can be explained by saying "I'm using my fast hands to accomplish the effect."

Icy, I’m not saying that there is something wrong with your beliefs. It is perfectly fine if you don’t want to give the audience the impression that real magic is happening. If you think that what I’m doing is unethical, that’s fine with me too. That’s your own opinion and I respect that. =) Do what you believe and amaze your audience with your illusions.

But I’ll still try my best to make my audience believe in “real magic”. Cos I think the smile on their face will be much better if they believe that what they are seeing is magical. =)

Yes, agree with Ace. We are not using magic to cheat any $$$ or what? I have not seen anybody's lives being messed up after watching a magician's show.

Seriously, no matter how I think, I simply can't understand Icy's "ethics". If you think that it's unethical to make people "believe" in magic, then maybe you should stop doing magic, pick up guitar playing instead.

And by the way, avoid watching dramas, the actors are also trying to pretend to be something they are not and planting something untrue in your mind. For good measures, avoid all storybooks too.

Skills vs Magic? That's a no debate. We need skills to perform magic but we only show the magic to the spectators, we only show skills to fellow magicians. There is no versus or not.

hey.

Sometimes I emphasise to my audience that "the trick is not the magic" I sometimes illustrate this with a point. Once in a while someone will try to "share" a simple, unconvincing version of triumph where he asks you to pick a card, turn his back, do something and ask you to place the card back in. I think you know where im headed to. I then proceed to show them the same trick in their face. I also draw a comparison that not everyone with a good voice can be a good singer, it takes something more than just that.

Csjoshi

I would think that 'fast hands', as many have pointed out, isn't really a compliment, although I would accept that some people may genuinely wish to compliment you by saying that. Another reason why people may say such is because they want to offer themselves an explanation, instead of saying "wow, you can really do magic?", which may make them seem dumb by believing in magic.

How to get over it? Like what Adeline said, I believe that timing and the necessary pauses is crucial such that even if the effect was truly achieved using fast hands, by the time the magic is revealed, the audience would not be able to reconstruct the magic, especially if a different magical moment was available.