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The
TRICK
BRAIN
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
It is important, I think, that it be made clear just what my ultimate objective has been in preparing this work. Useful as I believe THE TRICK BRAIN section may be, this has not been the underlying purpose.
Just as electronics is the science of the use and application of the most elementary charges of electricity, and as acoustics is the science of sound, so also, now, I shall use the word mechanics to mean the mechanical details of physically operative magic. I do not mean the plural of artisan. Rather, I mean the parts making up the arrangement and relations of the machinery and manual operation of mechanical magic, as contrasted to the mental and psychological phases. I refer to the mechanism of mechanical magic in its broader sense.
Never before has there been an attempt to marshal the elements of the mechanics of magic together. It should have been done long ago. No magician can be called truly "advanced" in the science of magic unless he possesses an orderly and thorough knowledge of the basic elements with which he is working.
It would be a foolhardy person, indeed, who would insist that he had collected all of the basic principles in use today or which might be applied in the future. So I neither claim this to be complete today, or that it anticipates the principles of tomorrow. I merely say this work includes practically all of the principles in use at the present time.
Undoubtedly there will be disagreement with the elements as I have dissected them. I plead the excuse that better minds than mine have not undertaken a similar task. Perhaps other elements should be included. At this time, however, I am not aware of them. It is extremely unlikely that a one-man search such as this has been would not result in overlooking something.
But it must be clearly understood that I have tried to reduce these elements to their final-and fundamental-identities. In magic they are heavily disguised. I've tried to tear off their wigs and false whiskers, to take off their make-up.
Variously intermixed, disguised by the specific objects with which we perform, obscured by the interpretations given them by performers, these elements are the bricks forming the foundation of all mechanical magic. And by mechanical magic I do not mean that portion of magic that pertains only to the apparatus field. Instead, I mean ALL magic. This includes the sleight-of-hand field as well. Even the movements of the hand are mechanical in the respect that the hand, too, is a mechanism. And the mechanism of magic in its broadest sense includes the stratagems and principles applied for all forms of magical deception.
From the mechanics of magic we obtain the individual tricks we use. These tricks are the magicians' tools. Technique is the science of using these tools, just as the technique of the piano is the details of procedure essential to expertness of execution in that field.
Most of the magic texts in the past have been devoted to explanations of individual tricks and expositions of technique. This has been particularly stressed with cards. Many books have been filled with details as to how to handle cards expertly-palming, shuffling, dealing, control. For every word that has been written on the technique of the use of other objects in magic, we have a thousand words on cards. We do have some literature on the handling of balls, on the ring trick's execution, on the doing of the cups and balls, on handling coins and on several other subjects. But the technique field is far from adequately covered.
Many more words could and should be written stressing expert handling and execution of magic generally. I am inclined to think that we could dispense with a great portion of the explanations of new tricks in the future, and devote a major percentage of that wordage to adequate instruction on how to execute properly the tricks we have.
This is particularly true as to the mechanical end-and again I stress that I do not mean the apparatus field exclusively. In my sincere belief, the rank-and-file magicians lack skill in the general field. This should be corrected.
Magicians generally probably will not agree with this attitude at all. Popular stress has always been on tricks. Again, I must insist that tricks are but tools. This eagerness to add new tools to the workshop at the expense of learning how to use the ones we already possess definitely results in overcrowded workshops but unskilled artisans.
We can't hope to have magic on a higher plane until virtuosity or skill, if you prefer, becomes more important than the trick plots we use.
I say these things because THE TRICK BRAIN puts the magician in a position to acquire all of the trick plots and trick methods he will ever need. I hope THE TRICK BRAIN will simplify the mechanical end of magic to a point where it is exposed for the elementary and primary thing it truly is. The mechanics of magic does not deserve the attention that has been lavished upon it. It isn't that profound.
Certainly the proof of this fact cannot be denied when it is laid out before you completely-within the two covers of this work. To the best of my knowledge, nowhere will you find a trick in magic whose fundamental mechanical secret does not come within the basic elements of this book. And even if some more are found eventually, I am certain there will be but a few. And this few is still unimportant, in the broadest sense, because they will be found to appear in the general repertory of magicians so seldom that they are without influence in establishing the general identity of magic.
After a thorough search, involving a period of years, culling and discarding and retaining and classifying, the field has been thoroughly covered to the limit of my capabilities. I positively believe this to be practically all there is to mechanical magic. I say "practically," but I think that EVERYTHING pertaining to the basics of the mechanics of magic today is here.
Let's pick out these elements and inspect them away from the effects with which they are associated. This should be perfectly valid. A secret hiding place is still a place of concealment regardless of whether it is used for a production, a vanish, a transposition, a transformation, a penetration, a restoration or other basic effect. Pretense is still the same resort, no matter what the specific pretense may be or for what purpose used. Interpretation remains construction in the light of individual interest regardless of the specific reason.
In other words, stripping them away from the basic effects and methods, these are the things we use when we are operating the mechanism of magic:
- — Secret hiding places.
- — Diverted attention.
- — Forms to simulate objects.
- — Detachable portions.
- — Pulled threads.
- — Movement through gravity or centrifugal force.
- — Revolving panels.
- — Secret compartments-fixed and movable.
- — Shell objects.
- — Interchangeable compartments.
- — Conveyance, concealed by an accessory.
- — Access to nearby hiding places.
- — Covers blending with backgrounds.
- — Secret passageways.
- — Chemical reactions.
- — Optical illusions.
- — Concealment of hollow shells within hollow interiors of accessories.
- — Secret exchange.
- — Pretense.
- — Disguise.
- — Expandability, compressibility and collapsibility.
- — Movement through elastics, springs and other power.
- — Fast, unexpected movements.
- — Optical projection.
- — Change in relative surroundings.
- — Duplicates.
- — Implication.
- — Substitution.
- — Invisible connections.
- — Concealed connections.
- — Concealed power.
- — Secret manipulation.
- — Magnetic attraction.
- — Controlled center of gravity.
- — Atmospheric pressure.
- — Adhesion.
- — Interpretation.
- — Simulation.
- — Secret marks.
- — Secret codes and keys.
- — Secret glimpses.
- — Mathematical arrangement.
- — Mathematical formulas.
- — Forcing.
- — Psychological clues.
- — Confederacy.
- — Calculated delay.
- — Prearrangement.
- — Carbon impressions and other copies.
- — Gaining possession secretly.
- — Eavesdropping, direct or through microphone.
- — Surreptitious observation.
- — Secret writing.
- — Dual-identity construction.
Are these the secrets we regard so highly?
Look at these fifty-four elements. Spread them out upon the floor and regard each one critically and judiciously. See them for what they are. Are there any secrets here that the most uninformed spectator does not know or suspect?
When an orchestra leader sponsors a popular expose and reveals to the general public that magicians use mathematical formulas and marked cards, is he telling the laymen anything they don't know or suspect already? Of course, he is giving them one specific formula. And he is telling them one specific method of marking cards. This must not be construed as a defense of the man who has undertaken the expose. Rather, I am trying to convince you that it is unimportant.
Look at those elements again. Are these the foundation upon which magic has survived these many years? Is this collection of elementary basic principles sufficiently deceptive in itself to supply secrets that should be guarded so religiously?
My point is summed up in one more question: Can it be, as is popularly assumed, that this is the IMPORTANT part of magic?
I think not.
I think the mind of the performer, utilizing these elements intelligently and indiscriminately, influencing and guiding the minds of the spectators expertly and skillfully, contains the real secrets of magic, secrets beyond the abilities of anyone to reveal hurtfully.
The secrets of the mind, the REAL secrets of magic, cannot be exposed.
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