Do you have suggestions to taking my bow out of the case without snagging the hairs on the little clip that secures the bow?

First off, are you making sure to turn the "bow spinner" clip mechanism so it is fully horizontal before you try to remove the bow?

Second, sometimes the hairs (yup, they are actual hairs from horses' tails) can snag, but most of the time if you remove the bow slowly, clearing the spinners, it should be fine. I packed your violin and bow inside the case myself and I would have noticed if it was hard to remove the bow.

It's probably just something takes time to get used to. Higher end cases will have tighter bow spinners (no gaps behind the mechanism for hairs to get caught) but even I used a high quality case for years that sometimes caught the hairs when I was in a hurry to yank the bow out and get on stage.

Third, you may also discover the hairs are catching because you have overloosened your bow. You don't want really loose hairs dangling as, not only will they catch more easily than slightly taut hairs, but it is not good for your bow either. When they are too loose they are not packed in tight and can work their way out of the frog or tip.

I have also heard the slightest bit of tension will keep the bow straight, but I'm not sure if there is actual science behind that theory. In any case, there should always remain the slightest tension on the hairs. This tension is not enough to put pressure on the stick, but it will keep the hairs together, not all separated and loose.

Lastly, should you prefer not to use the spinners or just find you don't like using them, you can extend a thick rubber band between the two "closed spinners" and rest the bow in behind it. That solution has worked for young students and older right-handed players with arthritic right hands (where twisting is painful).

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