Keith Hill (musical instrument maker)

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Keith Richard Hill (born May 8, 1948) is an American instrument maker known for harpsichords, clavichords, and other early keyboard and string instruments. Born in China to missionary parents and raised in the Philippines, he moved to the United States in 1962. He studied music at Michigan State University and Western Michigan University, earning a Bachelor of Music in 1971. While a student, he built his first harpsichord and became fascinated with the craft.

Hill worked in Germany and Michigan early in his career and studied harpsichord performance in Amsterdam. He traveled around Europe, measuring hundreds of antique keyboards. In 1972 he opened a workshop in Grand Rapids, where he built many harpsichords and later began training apprentices. He partnered with Philip Tyre in the 1980s, and production eventually moved to Manchester, Michigan.

Beyond making instruments, Hill has conducted extensive acoustical research about Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical instrument design. He restored a 1658 Zentis harpsichord for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004 and designed a pedal harpsichord shown at the Boston Early Music Festival in the early 1980s. He has written about instrument making for Continuo magazine, including pieces on authenticity and how to judge a harpsichord, and published articles on topics like “Plastic versus Quill.”

Hill also studied violin making, developing a unique varnish from ash for violins. He collaborates with his wife, Marianne Ploger, and his brother Robert Hill, on acoustical research and education. Together they created the Acoustical Technology Training program, and they publish a longer treatise on sound in musical instruments. They have led workshops in Europe and the United States, and began the training program in 2008.

Today Hill maintains a violin workshop in Nashville and continues making keyboard instruments in Tennessee. His instruments are praised for a full, rich tone and have been used by many celebrated artists.