A strike is usually performed with the note immediately below the note being graced. For example, if you are striking between two G's, you would use the fourth finger. Use the following procedure as a guide:

• 1. Begin by playing the first G.
• 2. Without stopping your breath, tap the fourth hole with your finger.
• 3. Leave the fourth hole open to make the second G.

It is important to make the strike as short as possible. To achieve the right sound, you must keep your fingers relaxed. Think of simply bouncing your finger off the hole. Keep your finger fairly straight. It may help to try just hitting the side of the hole, as long as you can get a distinct grace note.

Strikes can be used in the same manner as cuts: to separate two identical notes, or to emphasize the second of two different notes. This is especially effective when striking from a higher note to a lower one. Use your ear as a guide.

EXERCISE 15 Practice striking between identical notes. Start with E and work your way up to C#, beginning slowly with each note and gradually increasing your speed. Be sure to get a short grace note by just tapping the hole with your finger. Continue until you have mastered this technique.

This technique is typically used to change from a higher note to a lower note. It is considerably more difficult than simply separating two notes, because several fingers must be put down at the same moment. We will change from B to E with a strike as an example:

• 1. Start by playing a B.
• 2. Without stopping your breath, put your second through sixth fingers down to make a D strike. You must put these fingers down at the same time, or you will get crossing notes.
• 3. Immediately raise your sixth finger to make the E main note. Make sure that the grace note is short by keeping your fingers relaxed and bouncing your sixth finger off the hole as if striking between two identical notes.

EXERCISE 16 Practice changing from higher notes to lower ones. Start by striking from C# to each of the notes below (except D). Continue, starting from each successive lower note. When doing this exercise, try to fix the strike in your mind as a single motion as opposed to a series of individual movements. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed, and continue until you are confident of your ability.

EXERCISE 17 Refer to the music above. Play through the tune slowly, playing strikes where indicated. Gradually increase your speed until you are playing at a moderately fast pace. Tongue only when striking from a lower note to a higher one (which in this tune means most of them). Continue until you can play the tune up to speed, as shown, from memory. If you like, you can put some cuts in as well, as shown in the last topic.

The basic tune, with the simple addition of strikes, becomes much more interesting and takes on quite a different character. As you learn more tunes, you will acquire new fingering patterns, some of which are common to many tunes, and the way you typically ornament these patterns will partly define your style.