Nelson Bow Holder Music Stand Hook with Pencil Holder

For string players, having an easy place to store a bow can make a big difference. It doesn’t take much for gear to start getting in the way.

The Nelson Bow Holder was designed in collaboration with professional string players to ensure it meets the needs of violin, viola, cello, and double bass players.

2 HOLDERS are available: the Below Hang and the Side Hang. Each type has been designed to serve slightly different use cases, but can also be interchangeable based on preference.

EACH HOLDER has a common set of features
- Parts can be assembled to fit on either side of the music stand
- Fits to most common music stand designs
- A pencil holder keeps your pencil in reach and out of the way of the music
- Steal threads make for a snug fit with no shifting
- The side-mounted design means you can ensure the bow can hang freely without hitting the floor
- Page-turning finger gap that lifts the music from the music stand making it easier to grab the end of the page or book

BELOW HANG
Designed for standing string players, the Below Hang makes life easier for a string player who want easy access to their sheet music and their bow.
- Short, tapered hook for quickly placing and grabbing your bow
- Angle-adjustable hook getting the right tilt for your bow
- Pencil holder for keeping pencil in reach and out of the way of the music

SIDE HANG
Designed for sitting string players, the Side Hang holds the bow out from the side of the music stand high enough so that bows safely hang without hitting the ground. Here are the main features:
- High-edge hook for secure hold even when the music stand is jostled
- Pencil holder for keeping pencil in reach and out of the way of the music

COMPLETE SET
Includes 1 of each part to build either the Below Hang or Side Hang. Most players might prefer the holder type that is recommended with their instrument. But many players also want to be ready for anything. For instance, a violin player might want to stand while playing. The Below Hang (in comparison to the Side Hang) would make it easier for their to quickly grab or place their bow.

BACKGROUND
For years there have been a few traditional options, but each option had critical limitations that aggravated one veteran studio player to set out to make a better bow holder.

The Nelson Bow Holder Below Hang was first designed for double bass players who may only have a moment to place or grab their bow between passages of a song.

Other bow storage options didn’t seem feasible in some circumstances:
- Bass quivers required too much focus and motion to place and grab a bow
- Deep-hooked holders make for a slow grab
- Laying the bow on the music stand gets in the way of the music

The design of the Nelson Bow Holder was a father-son collaboration between studio player Craig Nelson and his son Will Nelson, a mechanical engineer and game maker. After roughly 20 iteration and over a year of testing, the Nelson Bow Holder Below Hang was finished.

Soon after the Below Hang was completed, the design for the Side Hang was begun for violin and cello bows: the unique challenge was to provide enough clearance between the bow and the ground when hanging, even if a standard music stand was in its lowest setting.

Both designs were completed in January of 2024 and began to be evangelized to music shops and musicians in Nashville, Tennessee.

For a video walkthrough of the Nelson Bow Holder, see this YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkazaBohRLo

If you have additional questions about the Nelson Bow Holder, visit the website at
https://handnfable.com/nelson-bow-holder