Im currently in the process of getting a kankara, and plan in the future to move onto Tsugaru Shamisen; however I’m quite new to the scene and confused about notation/tableture.
Specifically if it can be learned/played in the same way a shamisen can? Or at least if the Shamisen of Japan book from this site can be translated over?
I’d really appreciate any words on the matter, Thanks!
-Sam
Hi Sam!
That’s a great question. Basically, the skills you get with kankara do transfer to the shamisen. (Actually, skills from any instrument you play will transfer to shamisen, and vice versa)
Most everything can be transfered over, if you wish. The main difference is that the kankara is shorter, and thus the scale length will be shorter as well. This might be confusing at first, but if you can adjust for that, you’ll be able to use the Crash Course with your kankara just fine. 
Cheers!
Kyle
Thank you! If I might also ask; is it worth/possible to use a bachi with a kankara?
That’s a good question. Fingers or a flatpick works just fine with kankara, but you can use a bachi with it for practice.
Being that the body of the kankara is more rounded than the shamisen, handling the bachi would be a bit different. However, being that the bachi takes some time to get used to anyway, it would be a good idea to do so especially if you plan to switch to a full sized shamisen in the future.