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MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS Simon Aronson’s Introduction to Memorized Deck Magic Original Edition Copyright 1999 by Simon Aronson Revised Edition Copyright 2002 by Simon Aronson The card conjurer’s repertory is never complete without employing the prearranged deck to some extent. - S. W. Erdnase 2 • Simon Aronso n’s M EMORIES A RE M ADE OF T HIS Simon Aronson’s Introduction to Memorized Deck Magic [Note (May 2002) : This pamphlet was originally written approximately three years ago, for use in some private workshops I conducted on memorized deck magic. Since that time much has happened to make the use of a memorized stack even more popular. Last year I published my book, Try the Impossible, which contains an in-depth exploration of the Aronson stack, plus two of the tricks that were contained in the original version of these notes. I also now have a website, at www.simonaronson.com , which allows me to share my ideas about magic generally, and about memorized deck magic in particular, on a more current basis over the internet. I’ve revised these notes in just a few minor respects, to update the references, correct any errors that have been brought to my attention, and in only a few places to clarify or expand on the ideas presented. ] An awful lot has changed over the past twenty or so years. When I wrote my first book ( The Card Ideas of Simon Aronson , 1978), I tipped my mitt on a lot of “underground” stuff that I had developed, using the memorized deck. In my introductory essay to that chapter, I mentioned that I sometimes felt “guiltily pleased” that so few of our advanced cardicians had (at that time) ever considered using the memorized deck. Well, I can’t feel such guilt any longer because the memorized deck has certainly come of age. Indeed, the past few years have seen a groundswell of interest in this venerable tool among some of the world’s most respected magical thinkers and performers. Lecturers at magic clubs around the country have showcased memorized deck miracles. But the enthusiasm is not limited just to the professionals. In magic chat rooms on the Internet, and at magic conventions, I am regularly besieged by eager, inventive amateurs who want to show me their latest twist or accomplishment with a memorized deck – and many are really good! The momentum is growing and contagious, and the sheer number of cardicians now using a memorized stack has produced a synergy that is causing the number of effects, tips, variations, and new principles to multiply exponentially. I’m happy to have been part of the inspiration for this renaissance, but there’s no reason to stop there. I’m constantly working on new memorized deck effects. So, it’s about time that you joined the ranks also. About This Introduction As the title implies, the purpose of this booklet is simply to introduce you to some of the basic principles and applications you need to know to get started with a memorized deck. In Section I, I define a few of the basic terms, and answer some of the more frequently asked questions about how to approach the topic. In Section II, I try to give you a sense of the power and scope of the memorized deck by discussing five principles that are commonly used in memorized deck applications. These principles are illustrated with several simple, though quite fooling, location effects. In Section III, I offer some thoughts on how one can best go about learning a memorized stack. At various points I refer to some of my favorite “memorized miracles” and to my books, so for convenience in looking up those references, I’ve included in Appendix A a current bibliography of all of my published writings on memorized deck magic. Finally, in Appendix B, I’ve set forth the Aronson stack, in case you want to learn it. Introduction to Memorized Deck Magic • 3 I hope this brief introduction will make you feel more comfortable with, and will whet your appetite for further exploration of, memorized deck magic. Please understand what this Introduction is not . It’s not a “summary” of everything there is to know about memorized decks; to the contrary, it barely scratches the surface. It’s also not a substitute for reading my books. I’ve been publishing material on the memorized deck since 1972. If you’re familiar with my writings, you know that I’m usually quite detailed (my friends say “exhaustive”) in discussing the underlying principles, tradeoffs, lead-ins and clean-ups, variations, credits and other references concerning each effect. This Introduction however, goes in the opposite direction – the discussions are intentionally abbreviated, and are expressly meant to point you toward my books for further exploration and discussion of the material. (If you already have read all my books, you probably don’t need this Introduction at all). I. Getting Started So, what is a “memorized deck” (or, sometimes a “memorized stack”)? Quite simply, in current parlance among cardmen who actually perform memorized deck magic, a memorized deck means any specific ordering of the 52 playing cards, in which the position of each of the 52 cards (from 1 to 52) has been committed to memory . That’s it. The key element is the phrase “committed to memory.” If you’ve really memorized the positions of all 52 cards, and if a deck is stacked in that particular memorized order, you’ll be able to do two things: A. if someone names any number, from 1 to 52, then you will know instantly what card lies at that numbered position, and B. if someone names any playing card, then you’ll know instantly at what numbered position that particular card lies in the deck. That, in a nutshell, is all there is to a memorized deck, but a lot of wondrous possibilities flow from this one simple fact of memorization. And, likewise, the esoteric nature of memorized deck magic also becomes immediately apparent: the average magician who contemplates the supposed difficulty of memorizing 52 abstract numerical relationships, quickly dismisses this tool as being not worth his time or effort. (Many practitioners are secretly happy about that, but hopefully this Introduction will help you overcome any initial hesitancy or inertia). So let’s examine the foregoing definition a bit more. “Instantly” means, in this case, without needing any formulas, calculations, or time to get from a position to a card or vice versa. If someone calls out, say #38, you instinctively know it’s the Ten of Hearts (or whatever particular card lies at position #38 in the particular deck order you’ve memorized), or if someone calls out, say, the Ace of Spades, then position #6 (or whatever) will immediately come to your conscious mind. It happens instantly, without mediation, or thought, or rules, or formulas, of any kind, because the 52 correlations of each specific card and its respective numerical position have previously been established in your memory. At the outset, this concept of learning the 52 cards “by memory” is what scares most beginners. Let me offer some encouragement that, at this stage, must simply be accepted on faith by any initiate. Believe me, memorizing a stack is far, far easier than you ever would imagine. Indeed not only will learning a stack come much more quickly than you’d ever have thought possible, 4 • Simon Aronso n’s the learning process can be enjoyable, even fun – because you’ll be learning powerful new tools that will strengthen your mental powers, both in and outside of magic. The only people who speak of the difficulties of memorizing a stack, are those who’ve never seriously tried to learn one. The “stack number” of a card is the numbered position each card occupies in your memorized order. Thus, for example, in my particular memorized deck order, the Jack of Spades has stack number #1 (it’s the top card), and stack number #52 is the Nine of Diamonds (it’s the bottom card of my memorized order). Each card’s stack number is unique to it, and by definition stays with it, no matter what order a particular deck is in. If I shuffled my memorized deck, the Jack of Spades still is the card whose stack number is #1, regardless of what position the Jack happens to fall at in the now shuffled deck. The stack number, once it has been learned, is as though each card now has a second “name,” a new “secret identity.” The Ten of Clubs (which is stack number #35 in the Aronson stack) can also be thought of or “known” as card #35 – but while everyone knows the card's ordinary name “Ten of Clubs,” only you know its other identity, its stack number #35. A card's regular name carries with it certain characteristics by which the card can be classified, organized, or arranged; for example, the Ten of Clubs is black, a club, a spot card, an even card, etc. The fact that each card now has a secret identity means that cards can now also be classified or organized with respect to this new identity, and this “secret” principle of classification or organization will be known only by you. No one else will even be aware that any organization or order exists. If this so far sounds a bit conceptual, let me give a concrete example to illustrate. Divided Deck Location . Everyone is familiar with one of the earliest tools for doing a location effect, namely, secretly dividing the deck into reds and blacks. If a card is withdrawn from one half of the pack and replaced in the other, it can easily be discovered because it is the only misplaced card among the opposite half. As long as the audience is unaware of the divided nature of the deck, it can be a real fooler, but obviously, one can't spread the cards face up while using the red/black principle. Because the red/black division is so visually apparent, magicians have sought to disguise it somewhat, by dividing the deck not by color, but by other characteristics of the cards, e.g., all the “even” cards in one half and the “odd” cards in the other, or Clubs and Diamonds in one part and Spades and Hearts in the other. Each of these criteria for dividing, or organizing, the deck has one drawback: if a spectator is looking for the organization, he may find it. If, however, the deck were divided into halves by organizing the cards according to some feature or characteristic of their secret identity , even an intense or prolonged inspection would fail to reveal anything, since the secret identity, the stack numbers, are known only to you. Thus, in the above location effect, if all the cards with low stack numbers (1-26) were in one half of the deck and the cards with high stack numbers (27-52) were together in the remaining half, you could perform the identical location effect and could spread the deck face up with impunity, for the principle of organization cannot be discerned by anyone who is not familiar with the particular stack you've memorized. Note that, depending on your needs, you could use any feature you want with regard to stack numbers (high/low, even/odd, every fourth card, just those between 30-40, etc.) as a principle or means of organization. And obviously you aren’t limited to dividing a deck into just two halves; the same secret identity principle can be applied to one or several small groups or packets of cards. While the classification will be apparent to you, the cards will be random as far as the audience is concerned. One can generalize the above example into a rule or principle: Whenever a division, organization or arrangement of cards has been made, and this arrangement is to be used as a secret tool and not something which is ultimately to be revealed or exposed to the spectators, then an alternative arrangement based on the stack numbers of the cards can usually be substituted. Ed Marlo employed a memorized deck, and when using “marked cards,” Ed found it easier to “mark” the backs of cards to indicate the card’s stack number , instead of its suit and value. (“Marked Introduction to Memorized Deck Magic • 5 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |