The Moral Organization of Postural Readjustments in Edo-Bayashi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/si.v9i3.170737Keywords:
Edo-Bayashi, multimodal conversation analysis, music, postural readjustments, unofficial conductAbstract
Drawing on multimodal conversation analysis and Goffman’s notions of tracks and anchoring, this study examines the moral organization of postural readjustments (PRs) during Edo-Bayashi instruction. In this traditional style of Japanese taiko drumming, trainees need to remain still and attentive while seated in seiza, a posture whose physical demands make PRs a recurrent practical issue for participants. An analysis of an extended correction sequence, which entails the teacher’s demonstration, shows how observing trainees position PRs around moments of salient instructional relevance (MSIRs) in ways that are sensitive to emergent syntax, rhythm, and the spatial configuration of the setting. In so doing, participants display their in-situ understanding of the teacher’s talk and of what counts as “good” trainee behavior. As embodied accounts of participants’ unofficial conduct, PRs anchor Edo-Bayashi instruction in the corpomaterial world while sustaining the coherence and recognizability of the main activity.
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