Blender has a select menu at the bottom of the 3d view port. on it are all the different selection types. Beside each command is the shortcut. If you want to create a short cut simply right click on the command and use the  menu this brings up to do just that. Also there is an addon (Dynamic Space bar) that brings up most menus you need via you guessed it the space bar. Want to doe something with Vertices? Hit the space bar select edit mesh tools, then select the vertices menu and voila all the vertices commands and the short cuts.

Excellent point, Cybermonk.  The pie menus and dynamic space bar are two addons I recommended to David at the start of this thread.  They are invaluable tools for quickly accessing the expected features in the software; lessening the click count, and also the keyboard shortcut recall, for both beginners and seasoned users.  They are great tools.  Currently, these addons aren't enabled with the default 2.73 installation, at least not in the one I installed; however, I expect in the next release, or perhaps several forward, they will be.  It's also useful to enable the Icons addon, and all of the additional mesh object addons, for complete freedom in the modeling workflow. Beginners should also be wary, however, when following tutorials on Youtube or other resources, which Blender version is being used, and which addons they have enabled.  Keyboard shortcuts may be different for various releases, and addons can also affect how the shortcuts work.  Unfortunately, I've noticed many Blender users who create tutorials do not specify which addons they have enabled beforehand, and this can lead to confusion as well.  It will help new users tremendously once these addons become standardized with each installation.

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