So you want to learn some magic? Well below are three tricks which are easy to perform, but are sure to impress your friends. Once you’ve mastered these, why not hire Ryan Carmichael to teach you some more – he does both group, and private lessons; use the contact page to make an inquiry!

Before we get started learning some tricks…

The three rules of magic

1. Shhh, it’s a secret!
Don’t take the magic out of magic; the moment others find out how you did a trick it makes the trick, well boring. Let them have that tiniest bit of hope that magic could in fact be real!

2. Don’t perform the same trick twice…

…at least not at the same time. Most tricks are quite simple to accomplish; doing them over and over again for someone allows that person to change where they are looking, and possibly find the secret. Instead, why not show them another trick?

3. Practice, practice, practice!

Practice makes perfect, so make sure you practice until you have your trick perfect before going out and showing it to your friends and family. The urge to perform a trick right after you have learnt its secret may be strong, but your desire to give them a perfect show should be stronger!

Hi everyone! My name is Ryan Carmichael, and today we are going to learn some magic. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you read the above section on the three rules of magic; they will help to make your tricks as amazing as they can be! The three tricks we are going to learn are called “impromptu”, which means they can be done with very little or no preparation, and are done with things you probably already have lying around the house (I always carry around a few rubber bands, just in case!)

Our first trick is called…

The Vanishing Toothpick

The Effect: A toothpick appears and vanishes at your fingertips!

You will need:

· A Toothpick (or similarly sized object)

· A small amount of Blu-Tack, Cello-Tape, or similar adhesive

The Secret Preparation:

1. Roll a small piece of the Blu-Tack around the end of the toothpick.

2. Adhere the stick to your thumb nail. Ensure the toothpick is lying along your thumb.

3. Wrap your four fingers around your thumb, so the Blu-Tack cannot be seen, but the toothpick can.

When you practice and become quick at this, you can even do it in front of your audience and they won’t realise!

The Performance:

4. Show the audience the toothpick, as in figure 3.

5. Open your hand quickly. The toothpick will be hidden from view behind your thumb (ensure you keep the back of your hand facing away from the audience).

6. To make the match re-appear, simply close your hand back into a fist, making sure you hide the Blu-Tack with your fingers, as in figure 3.

For my next trick…

The Travelling Cap

The Effect: A Glue-Stick Cap invisibly travels from under your arm onto your thumb!

You will need:

· A Glue-Stick Cap (or similarly sized object – magicians often use sewing thimbles for this trick)

The Performance:

1. Place the cap on your thumb, and clench the rest of your fingers into a fist.

2. Pretend to place the cap under your arm; what you are really doing is taking the cap off your thumb, and holding it in your clenched fist, with your thumb out (remember, this is all done under the cover of your arm – the audience should think that you are just putting the cap under your arm, so practice until this is quick and seamless).

3. Take your hand (and hidden cap) back out from under your arm. Don’t make this too “showy”; remember, the audience already think the cap is under your arm, so there is no need to re-inforce this!

4. Reach behind your head and collect the cap on your thumb from your fist – make sure the audience can’t see your hand whilst you do this (don’t worry, your head should provide more than enough cover!).

5. Finally, bring your hand to the front, with the cap on your thumb, and the rest of your fingers wrapped in a tight fist once again (make sure you get your hand ready before bringing it out from behind your head!)

And for my final trick…

The Jumping Rubber bands

The Effect: An ordinary rubber band moves from your first two fingers, to your next two fingers!

The Secret Preparation:

1. Place the rubber band on your first and second fingers. If the rubber band is too large to fit snuggly here, wrap it around until it is.

2. On the palm-up side, pull the rubber band out (if you have doubled-over the band, make sure you do this to all the strands at the same time). Place the tips of all four fingers into the loop you have created.

3. Clench your fist, and be sure to keep the palm side of your fist hidden from the audience.

Again, when you practice and become quick at this, you can even do it in front of your audience and they won’t realise!

The Performance:

1. Show your clenched fist, and the rubber band on your first two fingers (remember to keep the palm side hidden!)

2. Quickly open your hand, then quickly close your hand back into a fist (the audience should not realise you opened your hand, so practice to make this as quick as possible!). You will see that the band has jumped from your first two fingers, to your next two.

How did that happen? Well, that’s magic!

-Ryan Carmichael