The Tuning Fork: My
Tribute to David Roth
Back in 2006 on a Magic Café forum
post, Brad
Burt described David Roth’s “The Tuning Fork” as "The
Most Perfect Coin Trick” (Click
the link to read Brad’s post).
Like Brad, the first time I saw “The
Tuning
Fork” I thought it was one of the most interesting concepts ever
applied to a
coin routine. The
routine deceives the
mind first with sound. David
demonstrates a concept with a Tuning Fork, which in itself is stunning
to the
uninitiated. He
then takes the concept
further by separating the sound from the coins and manipulating the
sound
itself. After
the audible chicanery, a
visual one-two punch occurs. Somehow
several coins appear and then they vanish as quickly as they came, much
like
the fleeting echoes of the Tuning Fork…
On 10/16/2010 at the New York Coin
Magic
Seminar 8, I had the distinct honor to pay tribute to him by performing
“The
Tuning Fork”. The
concept, script, and presentation are all
David’s. I only
modified the methodology
for stand-up performance. I
think one of
the most enjoyable parts for David was the fact that I memorized his
script
verbatim (with a few contextual adaptations).
If you catch my smile while I’m talking about the violin
it’s because
David was mouthing the words to the routine as I was performing it. He told me afterwards that
he couldn’t
believe I had memorized the entire script.
To be quite honest, memorizing that script is
almost as challenging as performing the magic!
The trick is 80% presentation, 20% magic, but the magic is
very
powerful.
The
standup version of the routine was something I
have held close for years. I
mentally debated back and forth before putting it up for public
viewing, but
in the end, I can’t imagine that I would ever get a better contextual
venue in
which to perform this routine. Magic
is
meant to be performed and experienced by others.
It was an unforgettable experience to perform
it for David and the coin magic aficionados in attendance.
I hope you enjoy the performance as much as I did presenting it...