Getting Started in Magic: A Super Basic, Must-Know Tip (from my experience) for Beginners

That's a very accurate statement. I have Shin Lim's NOCs, and they come with a gaff card to produce the King of Spades, but I came up with a much better and very different effect, which I've been perfecting for a month now.

@Willy Quintana-Lacaci:

To truly exploit the potential of Mnemonica, you need techniques: Faro shuffles, Top Changes, false shuffles, estimation, palms, peeks, forces, and so on…

I think that while you're practicing all of this, you can simultaneously memorize the stack. After all, it took me quite a while to learn it automatically.

Obviously, all these techniques require time and practice (but it's basically mechanical). However, it's something you learn well in the first few years through repetition and then refine over time.

And if, during those years, you've already memorized a stack (trained your mind), then when you truly master those techniques, you'll be able to make the most of it.

@Willy Quintana-Lacaci:

And those techniques aren't for beginners.

Hmmmm, I guess that depends on the person. I've been very self-taught... the downside of being that way is that I've never really followed a learning order. In books, I'd always skip ahead, then go back. Possibly at first, due to information overload, I held myself back quite a bit by not practicing enough and reading too much.

Even so, once I got serious about all those techniques, it didn't take me long to master them, combine them, and even create new effects or variations of existing routines.

I mean, techniques are just that—techniques... like katas in martial arts, repetition ad nauseam until it becomes automatic.

I'm sure when Jimi Hendrix was playing those guitar solos, he wasn't thinking about what he was playing... he was probably thinking about, say, his grocery list. 😅

And all these techniques are like that; they require practice and repetition. You wake up, grab the deck, and practice all day, any free moment you get, even in bed before you go to sleep. And, day after day, your technique gets better.

@Willy Quintana-Lacaci:

On its own, without techniques, Mnemonica isn't practical. It only serves to know the selected card and for some prediction effect, like the one Juan does with a notepad where he writes a famous person's name.

I completely disagree.

I think you're really limiting Mnemonica's uses to effects that rely on techniques.

Forgetting that mentalism, from a single prediction method, can generate many different effects. And Mnemonica, beyond effects requiring techniques, lends itself to many more routines; it all depends on an individual's knowledge and how they choose to use it.

@Willy Quintana-Lacaci:

I think you need to start with the basics. Canuto or Giobbi (or Florensa) are good examples of how to start with easy things, gain confidence, and grow.

And I won't argue with that. In fact, Vicente Canuto's Fundamental Card Magic and Roberto Giobbi's Card College were among my first books (along with Juan Tamariz's Magic at the Bar, The Magical Way, and The Five Points in Magic, José Carroll's 52 Lovers, Jesús Etcheverry's The Magic of Ascanio, Darwin Ortiz's Strong Magic, etc...).

@Willy Quintana-Lacaci:

Ultimately, if we love cards, it's essential to know how to do Double Lifts, false shuffles, etc., which we'll then use in effects with Mnemonica.

In my case, in less than 2 months, I had those techniques down (except for the Faro shuffle 😅). I performed them so well that it made me question magic.

I had that strange moment where I thought, "there can't be much more to learn" (there's always something new to learn), and I felt that when I performed magic, I was "cheating" and not doing "real magic" (even though people were fascinated). This was precisely because I was obsessing over techniques and not so much over the stories and presentation of the effects, which I believe is the most important thing in any trick.

A good trick doesn't require very difficult techniques, but they obviously help in its execution or variations.

I've only made a recommendation that I assume will apply to, at most, 10% of beginners.

When I started out, I bought a lot of books. In fact, I owned Symphony of Mnemonica Major II before Symphony of Mnemonica Major I (which was out of print back then). When I finally got the first one (I remember I was reading Corinda's back then), I started reading it and thought, "what a drag."

It probably sat untouched for at least 4 years 😅

When I picked it up and tried it, I was amazed at how easy it was for me (granted, I'd obviously been doing magic for years by then), and I think if I had learned it earlier, I would have loved it.

Certainly, anyone who likes math, puzzles, and chess, for example, should at least try to memorize it while simultaneously practicing, of course, all the techniques you mentioned.

In short, it's about memorizing a specific order of the deck (which looks random to the audience) – essentially, knowing the position of all 52 cards.

And believe it or not, you'll have them all memorized thoroughly within a week.

When you get a Mnemonic Stack, they'll tell you you can learn it in 3 hours (and I suppose that might be true). In my case, it took a bit longer, though I had it memorized in just 2 or 3 days. After that, it's simply a matter of practice to gain the mental agility needed to perform the many effects this kind of stack allows.

Okay, any Mnemonic stack is a specific order.

Juan Tamariz has his, Dani DaOrtiz has his too (those are the ones I've learned), and I know two more Mnemonic stacks (Woody Aragón's and Simon Aronson's).

You can actually create your own with any order you want.

Online? Well, online... if you know where to look... you'll find EVERYTHING.

Believe me, there are tons of YouTube videos out there revealing secrets 😅 😅 😅

I'll tell you that for both the "order" itself and for memorizing it... you might not need to spend much at all. You can find the order online, and for memorizing, there's a paid app on Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alvaritez.mnemonicosis&hl=es&gl=US) and another paid one on iOS (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/memo-deck-mnemonica-edition/id817404892?l=es). That'd be one part done.

However, there are books by those Mnemonic authors that not only explain how to correctly memorize the stack, but also teach you how to use it well and explore its numerous possibilities and effects.

That's why, even though you can start learning "stealthily" online, I advise you to acquire one of these manuscripts (either bought or borrowed). Personally, to start, I recommend SINFONIA EN MNEMONICA MAYOR I - JUAN TAMARIZ and SINFONIA EN MNEMONICA MAYOR II - JUAN TAMARIZ.

I hope I've helped you.

All the best and happy magic!!!

@DeZeta:

I have to disagree, buddy, but I don't think it's good advice to start with a mnemonic stack.

I totally get that, remember..., this is my opinion based on my experience.

In my case, I would have liked to learn it from the beginning because I found it "easier" than learning other effects with more sleights. Everyone's different, and well, I love math, and for me, a mnemonic stack is a game within a magic game. But I totally get that it's not easy for everyone right off the bat.

@DeZeta:

I thought you were going to say it's better to learn a few effects and do variations using different sleights and moves. Let's say it's better to practice than to get bogged down in one specific discipline.

That's actually excellent advice, though it's pretty generic and broad, and it doesn't always apply to everyone.

It's clear that starting slow is best for most people, but as you advance, some things will click for you more than others. And if you're good at math and mental calculations, a mnemonic stack can be a lot of fun.

@DeZeta:

a mnemonic stack is just another tool, and quite advanced at that

I disagree. For me (and I'm not a pro magician), I find it pretty straightforward. A deck and a sequence of at least 20 effects in a row. It's a perfectly mathematical structure.

From my perspective, the biggest job would be to properly prepare the magic session with a good storyline.

@DeZeta:

If you're into card magic (like most of us at the start), you'll learn more by doing a Rising Card effect 10 different ways, varying the sleight (you can do it up to 20 ways)

I get it, I get it. Can't argue with that. You've got a point.

@DeZeta:

than by learning a mnemonic stack only to forget it a week later.

I disagree with that. A mnemonic stack is NEVER forgotten, obviously if you study it and use it for a minimum amount of time.

If you learn it in a few days and then don't use it, well, logically, you won't get anywhere.

But with this, as with everything, everyone's different.

Cheers and happy magic!