Impromptu mentalism is usually improvised but certain effects may be prepared in advance if they are presented as impromptu ideas. Somewhat like the comic who memorizes thousands of one-liners and seems to create them off the top of his head.
- Bold Shots
- Cold Reading
- Contact Mind Reading
- Pendulums
- Basic Equipment
- Center Tear
- Billet Switch
- Stooges
- Forces
- Equivoce
- Hobson's Choice
- Memory
- Magic Squares
- Higher Math
- 1089
- A B C D
- 3 - 34 Follow-Up
- Words
- Wallet Acts
- Magic
- The Occult
- COP Out
- Finally
In mid-January of 1987, Ray visited with the esteemed "13" group of mentalists in New Jersey and lectured. It's a convention that can be attended by invitation only, and most of the top mentalists from across the country usually attend. The stipulation for the lecture was that the material should appear to be impromptu - not the usual prepared prop magic, but the off-the-cuff stuff that you should be able to do when a spectator comments, "I hear you read minds. Would you do something for me?" These notes were originally produced specifically for that lecture.
Ray has pretty much covered the gamut here. There are some "bold shots" - remarks you can add to your cold readings that will seem to be true (perhaps they should have been called "cold shots"?); some comments on contact and non-contact mind reading; the pendulum; basic impromptu equipment that you should always have on you; the Center Tear and Billet Switch; the use of stooges, impromptu and otherwise; the force and equivoque and more.
The "more" includes comments on the magic square; and math tricks. Ray says, "Math tricks are awful." True, if abused. Ray, however, goes on to give several mathematical effects that are actually quite good, including a neat digit divination that is, in reality, almost pure gall ... something Ray is good at. Also included is a series of divination using numbers and letters on business cards - quite effective bits of mentalism when Ray does them.
Ray's material is not known for its length and breadth in the way of bulk, but there is quite a bit of material here packed into a small space.
1st edition ~1980, 14 pages; PDF 8 pages.
word count: 2550 which is equivalent to 10 standard pages of text
