There’s a Kitaro concert called “Daylight Moonlight” on PBS as I type, he’s playing an end-blown flute of some sort, but I can’t see a fipple. It looks like the end of a tube is just pressed into his lips, and he’s blowing through it. There’s no notch at the lip-end (like a quena) that I can see. It’s definitely a whistle sound, not a flute sound. Does anyone know what it is?
hmmm..Ocarina? wish I could see the PBS programme..
I have seen low whistles on Ebay which have no beak cut into the fipple, just a square-across end. I can’t remember who makes them, but I know they have been discussed here before. I wonder if it was one of those? Was it black plastic?
You know, I would really figure Kitaro would play a SYNth. 
I like Kitaro, by the way. Not any kind of trad, 110% New Age, but still very cool stuff for what it is.
–James
It was a Native American flute, I’m pretty sure. I’ve seen pictures of them, but never seen someone playing one. A microphone was clamped onto the block, somewhat obscuring it, and the mouthpiece didn’t look like I’ve seen before, but I’m not very familiar with them. It looked the flat end of a tube was pressed against the middle of his lips, I thought they had a more standard “beak” held between the lips. It must have been recessed into the tube or something?
There’s an Indonisian type of whistle that has the whistle blade in the BACK of the thing, so you can’t see it when it’s being played. I have one I got at a Ren Faire. It has a notch at the top, but it’s covered over by a bamboo ring, so from an observer’s point of view, there’s no notch or mouthpiece visible. Could be one of those. I don’t know what they are called, but they are whistles and not flutes.
Was it a Shakuhachi? http://www.shakuhachi.com/
I don’t think so.