Tone is a very essential and important thing when you are learning Chinese :) but dont worry, if you are just a beginner , I would say that Chinese grammar is more important :)

tones is very important,tones express many meanings out of the word.but chinese is not express by tones，words is the basic and the most important.if you are a begainner,don't care it.

Well, as one Chinese word with different tone could be a completely different meaning. So tone is important while with enough context and a few mistake when using wrong tone still can be understood.

2--2 Now you've built a solid basis for your tones, and you move to the second step. Try to pronounce Chinese syllables (characters) including all four tones. Practice again and again, correct every mistakes, without ignoring a single one.----------- The third step, you practice in consecutive speech. You may pick a piece of text from course books, the broadcast, or whatever, which you've been familiar.Compare with the original version and correct every mistakes.----------- This method is to change a steep cliff, difficult to reach the top, into gradually ascending steps.Each step is easy and so the cliff is easy too: although some people may think it somewhat weary.------------ But remember when you're talking, just ignore the tonal mistakes you've made or you're like to make, but focus on the substance you're talking about and on the listeners' reaction. Only when you've got back to your room, you trace your conversation or speech and try to find out the mistakes and correct them,maybe you need to practice on one or more of the forementioned steps.

2--1 I'd venture to give some different idea. I suggest Chinese learners get the proper tones from the very beginning. The earlier the better. If you have learned Chinese pretty well, except the tones, and then begin to correct your tones, you may find it's rather difficult. Have you seen the CCTV show 快乐汉语 （Happy Chinese）? Some learners have been living in China for years and have perfect tones, except for some occasional mistakes; while some others who have stayed as long but speak with poor tones. As they both have been immersed in Chinese for long, why this gap? ---------- As a beginner, how should I get the proper tones? I'd like to give a tip, for your information. This method involves three steps. -------------- Firt, you may practice the firve-degree scale. That is, you pronounce a syllable, ( a ) , for example in five different smooth pitches, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, from low to hign, and contrary. The pitches will span those in common Chinese speech. You pronounce again and again and again, until you have a clear feeling of each of them. And then you pronounce in random sequence ( 31 5 4 2, for example, and you may put them down on paper and then pronounce them). Now you may find some mistakes, although you've pronounce well in the former sequences. Correct them and try again until you do them perfectly.--------