Martelé (French; Italian martellato), literally "hammered," is a bowstroke, used when playing bowed string instruments. The effect is usually produced by holding the bow against the string with pressure, then stroked forcefully to produce an intense note. Martelé is often used to produce a sequence of distinct notes with intense effect, with very slight pause in between notes due to the need for the pressure before the strokes. Some violin players use it when playing stacatto notes.