Four Chinese Mandarin Tones Alternative

Another way of thinking about how to pronounce the four tones is as follows:

1st tone - Your highest signing tone, like singing "Ahhhh"

2nd tone - Think how we say a one word question "Tea?" using an upward inflection.

3rd tone - Think what you replied when you were asked to do the dishes "Muuuum!"

4th tone - Remember what you tell a dog when it's dangerously close to food and you scold "Nooo!"

or as a very quick alternative summary:

1st tone - High sing

2nd tone - Question (up)

3rd tone - Low sing

4th tone - Scold (down)