Dan is a great magic teacher. He always explains everything so clearly. He takes his time with demonstrating all the steps of each trick. Anything with Dan is going to be good... even silk and rope penetrations.

To be honest, even though Dan intelligently puts a more modern spin on this, which I appreciate, the subject is still kinda meh to me. For me personally, the false knots seem really obvious. Now, perhaps most people aren't born with this topographical analytical ability... so for most, I suppose these can be quite mind blowing. To me though, it just seems really obvious.

I see these tricks as perhaps filler between other tricks or just something cute to show some kids. Again, maybe it's just me. It's just my opinion. Silks and ropes are just not my thing I guess.

I definitely don't want to penalize the product just because it's not my favorite thing. After all, when it comes to silks and ropes, perhaps this is a dream come true. Because of that, I'm giving the lesson an overall score of 4. Dan usually earns a 5 in my book for his succinct teaching. Personally, I want to give this subject a 2 or 3 because I'm totally bored with it. But again, I don't think it's right to penalize the product just because it's "not my thing". So, objectively, if I wanted to learn silks and ropes, I'm sure I would enjoy this one as a beginner.

Dan, keep it up on the Tarbell project! You're taking some old stuff and making it new again and I appreciate that. It certainly must be a tedious marathon at times... keep up the good work and thank you for being an awesome teacher.

... is the most exciting thing about this lecture. Dan does a terrific job teaching the silk and rope techniques but it's that ingenious tie production that makes this lesson relevant.

This is yet another example of Dan Harlan demonstrating his wonderful teaching! Silk and rope are not exactly the most interesting props, and yet Dan manages to make them more relevant and entertaining, as well as clearly teaching material that otherwise might "read" a tad bit boring. That is a talent and is why I have always been a fan of his.
This series is great and goes to show how much "old" material can look wonderful when performed in a "new" light.
Thanks also to Penguin Magic for making this possible.

Thabks so much! I'm going to be performing this at a convention soon in january

Does Dan Harlan have anything left to prove at this point? Only to himself. He's taken on the Herculean task of not only recreating every effect in the hallowed Tarbell course, but also modernizing the tricks through his own unique filter.
Obviously, here's a man that loves a challenge, because some of the material in Tarbell hasn't aged well or wasn't that strong to begin with. But there sure is A LOT of it. Much of the excitement in this epic quest is discovering exactly how Dan will tackle the latest lesson.
This particular episode, for me, is not one of the more memorable ones. The sharpest effect is Dan's own appearing tie. After one or two silk knots tied to a rope come free, you're more or less over it.
Don't blame Dan. His alchemy only goes so far. Not everything in Tarbell (or any other course, book or DVD) is going to be GOLD, but it doesn't stop any of us from still digging. The beauty of magic is that the search for the Holy Grail never really ends, it's a lifelong pursuit. Sometimes the so-so tricks you stumble upon inspire YOU to create something wonderful.
Personally, I probably won't be using any of the effects in this lesson. So minus a star for that. But as far as Harlan's commitment, enthusiasm, creative thinking and performance,there's probably not a rating high enough. I've found everything that I've bought that he created to be fine gold indeed.

I'll join the rest and write, AS USUAL, Dan does a great job with this material. However he also pays attention to the details of the stage and costume sets up. Without the attention to detail these releases would just be trick knots. The video is fast moving, and as with the others in this series a shout out goes to the editing. There is no down time, no wasted angles, no useless slo mo.

At my job, I can't have any electronic device, paper, pens, pencils. Paper must all be laminated so I did laminate a few playing cards to perform at work. I love using everyday items and I am known for my tie collection. Now I can perform more than the 3 rope trick! Thank you Dan!

I am new to the subject matter covered here, but found the lesson very interesting. Dan's instruction is always extremely clear and thorough. I appreciate that he repeats the steps to each knot to ensure the audience understands it and also saves us from having to rewind. I really enjoyed the kicker ending to the silk & rope penetration routine. My favorite piece from this lesson, and the one I am likely to actually use is the triple handkerchief release. It's quick and easy and involves audience participation.

I use rope with different knots regularly in my acts so this was a nice refresher with a few extra ones that I've never used before. The tricks by themselves, while fun, are not really strong. Dan's routining is great though and his kicker ending with the appearing tie is genius and it packs a great punch.If you use rope or silk in your act you will find this lesson worthwhile.

As usual, Dan is a great teacher. He knows how to cover all the correct angles so you can learn all the various knots and ties.

He amazes me with his expertise in every field of magic. You can never go wrong getting one of these courses taught by Dan.