noob: connecting to MySQL via SSH w/probs

[FliesLikeABrick]

i am just learning how to use SQL, and being that i want to use it on my site which i host out of my basement, i installed SQL on that machine. when trying to connec to to it via SSH, get the following error message:


i also get this same problem when i try to connect to it from the server computer through SSH. is this the best way to connect from a server for database administration, or am i missing some key part to using SQL?
please respond as if talking to a dumbass.