PERPLEXING BEADS

Instructions for the magic.

1.THE FRENCH DROP

If you want to look like a professional magician you will need to learn some sleight-of-hand. One of the best sleights that a magician can do is called “The French Drop.” With this technique you can make a coin, ball or other small object seem to vanish from your hand. With the left palm up and fingers curled in slightly, hold a coin between your first and second fingers and thumb of your left hand. Now with your right hand, palm down, reach as if you are going to take the coin. Your right thumb goes underneath the coin and your right fingers start to curl around it. As soon as the coin is covered you let the coin fall down into your left hand. Close your right hand into a loose fist and hold it up as your left hand (secretly hiding the coin) drops down to your left side. It is very important to focus all attention onto your right hand just as if the coin were there! You can now slowly open your hand to show that the coin has vanished! As you make it vanish you can sneakily put your left hand into your pocket and leave the coin behind! Make sure to practice this move before trying it on your helpers. You’ll find that watching yourself in a mirror will really help you get all the angles right!

2.PERPLEXING BEADS

Examine the colored beads carefully and you will see that two of them are the same color and are slightly larger than the other two. If you put one of the larger beads into the tube it will not come out of the other side because it is too wide. This is the magic secret that will allow you to perform some pretty cool effects! Before your performance, secretly place one of the larger beads into the tube. While performing the trick, hold the tube so the hidden bead doesn’t drop out. Now place either one of the small beads into the other end of the tube. Then place the other small bead into that end and then finally the other large bead and have the spectator remember the color order of the beads. Now, tip the tube over so the original hidden bead comes out with the two smaller beads behind it. It will look like you magically changed the color order inside of the tube! The large bead that you put in last will be safely hidden away on the other side. If you want to get rid of that bead at the end of the effect so you can hand the tube out for examination, simply tilt the tube over into your hand as the spectator is looking at the other beads. Then close your hand around the bead as it drops into your hand. Then place the now empty tube on the table as you casually put your hand in your pocket, getting rid of the extra bead!

3.THE JUMPING BEAD

Before you show this next trick, have one of the larger beads hidden in your hand. Secretly holding something in your hand while making your hand look as natural as possible is called “palming.” You should practice palming coins and small objects if you want to become a professional magician. Because the beads are relatively small, palming one should be fairly easy to do. You can hold the bead with your pinky and ring finger at the bend of the fingers near the palm in what magicians call a “finger palm”, and still keep you hand looking natural. Most people won’t realize that you have something hidden there! When you are ready to perform the trick, take one of the smaller beads with your other hand and place it into the hand that you have the hidden bead. A natural way to do this is to start to close the hand you have the hidden bead in as you pick up the other bead from the table. Place this bead into the top of your closed fist as you say the color of the bead. Then pick up the other small bead and drop it into your closed fist and say the color. Finally, stand the tube upright on the table and drop in the large bead as you say the color. Then say a few magic words and then pick the tube straight up showing that it has disappeared. Then stick the tube with the hidden bead still in it in your pocket, as open you hand to show all three beads! If the spectators ask to see the tube, take it out of your pocket, but first secretly turn it over so the hidden bead falls out and stays in your pocket!

4.THE APPEARING BEAD

Before your show, secretly hide one of the large beads in the tube, and leave the tube standing up on the table. When you are ready to perform the trick, lift the tube straight up to show that there are no beads in it. Then, secretly turn the tube over as you make a magical gesture with your other hand. Thenn lift the tube up again and they will see the bead. It will look like you conjured it up from thin air!

5.THE VANISHING BEAD

You can combine the “Appearing Bead” trick and the “French Drop” that you learned earlier for an awesome trick! Perform the “Appearing Bead” trick, but don’t lift off the tube to show the bead just yet. Take the second large sized bead and vanish it with the “French Drop.” Then lift up the tube and show that it has reappeared!