I might as well get this out in the open early in this blogging series. I’m a banjo player.
I know what many of you are hearing when I say that.
The Dueling Banjos song from the movie Deliverance.
I know it’s hard for many of you to block that out of your head. It’s like saying “whatever you do, don’t picture a pink elephant right now in your mind.” It’s impossible not to.
Moving on…
What does Dueling Banjos and the art of ninjutsu have in common?
Henka. Stick with me here. It’s not about a battle or even a duel.
I picked up a banjo over 40 years ago. I was obsessed with learning at a young age. I learned the basics- key songs that everyone played, scales, fancy “licks”, and all the foundational elements that most banjo players learn.
And then I started to play with other people, which evolved to joining bands, recording, performing at festivals, and teaching- typical evolution for an obsessed musician which also included having to learn to sidestep the brunt of all the banjo jokes.
One thing would often happen after “jamming” with people. Someone would ask me after a song ended, “How did you play that part you just did in that jam?”
I would often answer, “I have no idea. I just played it.” I was in the proverbial “zone”.
When I get in the center of an improv-jamming moment, there’s things at work…
Sinking in the “zone.”
Being present in the moment.
Creativity.
Awareness of myself relative to others around me (band members I play with).
Taking a basic concept and dancing with it.
And above all, playing and having fun.
Sensei Roemke began his training in ninjutsu about the time I picked up a banjo.
The first time I watched him demonstrate the concept of henka, I immediately thought of one thing…
“He’s jamming!”
And I heard Dueling Banjos in my head. Just kidding. My sincere apologies for bringing that up again for those of you who successfully removed that earworm from your head.
Henka is a Japanese term meaning a variation of a technique. There is a LOT that can be expounded upon this concept.
For a perspective on this concept, Sensei Roemke uses a technique called omote gyaku, or “outside wrist twist” in the video below. He teaches the “basics” and then shows examples of henka for this technique.
But if you watch closely you may catch a few things that happen in the video below.
He does a different variation every time.
And, he’s laughing and smiling.
And when finished, he says, “What did I do? I don’t even know. It was a blur.”
When I work on learning a new technique on the banjo, I’ll take a specific piece of a song and slow it down to analyze it part by part until I learn it. My daughter and I do this a lot with Sensei Roemke’s ninjutsu videos. When he shifts into henka mode in the video below, I highly recommend putting your video player in slow speed format. It’s fun to watch it this way to catch all of the little subtle things he’s doing
Check it out.
I’ll leave you with what Sensei Roemke has to say about Henka.
“My perspective on the concept of using “variations” of a certain skill in your life or as a student in the Bujinkan is that you will never know what is going to happen, and thus you have to be in the present moment. If you stay totally present and don’t think too much about what is about to unfold or happen, then something beautiful will emerge from the moment you are in.”
That idea can apply to so many aspects of life, even banjo playing.
Hope you enjoyed this one. This video is an excerpt from our weekly live online adult Ninja Training TV Live online class where you can request skills and get feedback from Sensei Roemke.
Here's to health and happy henka hunting!