Relinquishing in musical masterclasses: Embodied action in interactional projects

•Music masterclasses mix together instruction and performance.•Masterclasses rely on verbal and embodied actions.•The relinquishing move is an embodied action used by a master.•The relinquishing move helps coordinate performance beginnings.

This paper provides analysis of a particular phenomenon found in the transitions from instruction to performance in music masterclasses in what might be called ‘action frame transitions’. By undertaking a conversation analytic multi-modal analysis, it provides a progressive appreciation of what we will call the ‘relinquishing move’ produced by the master. Importantly this ‘move’ is related sequentially to various actions by participants to the scene that while sequentially ordered nevertheless show up a flexible organisation. The relinquishing move is seen to address a key issue in music masterclasses, the precise timing of action frame transitions, in that it is a resource for projecting upcoming performances.