Recently i was informed my accuracy is off quite a bit... something i knew already... but aside from that, what can i do to improve my speed picking, and technical picking abilities? any techniques i can apply? exercises and such?

if you don't do this already, turn your tone knob on your guitar all the way up, and play with a metronome. if you have, or can get, one that allows you to change the subdivisions within the beats (so that it'll emphasize 1 2 3 4, but also play every 8th note or 16th note within that, for example), then do that and play along with it. palm-muting helps also.

Another way that helped me a lot (well it is the same as playing to a metronome) you can tap your foot while playing but u have to be really accurate in your tapping (use this and the metronome way and u'll have super accuracy in no time).

also, start slow and work up the speed slowly.

yeah all that i do already (with the exception of the metronome..) such as the palm muting, and starting up gradually... one thing i seem to have a problem with i suppose is the thickness of my pick... it seems that it pulls the string out sometimes rather than picking it, which throws me off, and creates an uneven feel to my picking... im pretty good with it, but it needs work, ya know? i dunno if my strings are too heavy/loose or what... its just one of those things that piss me off from time to time...

what kind of picks do you use, and what strings in what tuning? if you want to work on picking accuracy, i find that a small pick (like the Dunlop Jazz size ones...i use the .88mm Tortex Jazz) and heavier strings are a good mix.

i use pretty heavy strings... typically, skinny top heavy bottom... but on my warlock (since i go down to drob B) i used the "not even slinkys" if i remember correctly... the dark purple packs... or the beefy slinkys... the big problem with those is, the G string... its like a fucking choke wire... rediculous.. picks? dunlop tortex .73mm

dark purple is "Power Slinky" which is, imo, too light to do anything like B very well (.048 for a low B is waaaay too light...i don't even like my .059s for a low B very much b/c they're too floppy). when you say "drop B" you mean B F# B E G# C#, correct? that puts you in kind of an odd position. i like .012s for C# standard on a 25.5" scale guitar, but they end up feeling quite tight (the reason i like this is because i'm primarily a rhythm player, and i like that kind of resistance to the pick). however, the lowest string would end up feeling a bit too loose, for my taste at least. i would try .012s though, that might be a nice compromise. those usually have a wound 3rd string, also, but i know some people don't like that for bending. give it a try, though, sometime.

definitely should step up your picks to something a little bit thicker, though....i used to use the .73mm tortex picks (those are the yellow ones, right?), and i thought that they were a little bit too light. the green ones (and even better, the pointy jazz-style ones like i said before) are *just* thick enough to be noticeably stiffer (and so, better for more accurate/faster picking), and at the same time not feel like you're holding something big in your hand.

i have the green ones, but the problem i seem to have is that when they are that thick, they grab the string and pull on it versus picking... the ones i got were called "not even slinky" i thought they were purple, i guess i was wrong... maybe green? shit i dunno... but either way, looks like im going to have to get a 7 string set, or mix and match... because i think i need a REALLY heavy bottom, with the top of the skinny top heavy bottom strings... i dont like a string too stiff on the G... like you said, doesnt do well for bending... but i want my power chords to be thick, and beefy... i will try a 7 string set unless you can suggest something different.

you could put together a custom set from www.juststrings.com if you feel like experimenting. i still think some heavier picks are the way to go....you just have to choke up on it more, and have as little of the tip sticking out as possible.

yeah i try... one thing ive experimented with was how "tight" i held the pick... and it seemed almost like a slightly looser grip, giving the pick the ability to move more, did better for it in certain situations... but lacked in other areas.... its just a fuckin pet peave of mine.. i get pissed and wanna throw my shit through a wall... lol

To improve speed picking technique practice some Symphony x stuf

if you want you can try these stuff:

running wild- riding the storm
slayer- black magic
the pulp fiction main theme(dick dale- misirlou)

you can try flight of the bumblebee
it's hard but it's usefull