Learn Chinese Step 1: Sounds (Pinyins). How different is it to English sounds and are there any good tips to learn? Many Mandarin Chinese teachers claim that the step 1 for Learning Chinese is: Sounds (Pinyins).  

How different is it to English sounds and are there any good tips to learn?
I found listening to music really helped when learning - artists from Taiwan and the south tend to sing more clearly in my opinion. perhaps you could start there.

Also, it is worth noting that in English we have around 8000 unique syllables, whereas in (mandarin) Chinese there are only around 400 (multiply this by 4 for the tones).