"List All" Hotkeys Not Listing "All"

Hey folks.

I'm settling into using Maya a bit, and I've looked around quite a few times now, and haven't been able to find an answer to this question:

If: in Maya, I have a keyboard key that "doesn't exist" according to the program, (for instance, at least on my system: the Tab-key) doesn't appear, then how do I get Maya to detect the keystroke and begin to process it so I can assign it as a normal hotkey?

I'm willing to learn some MEL, or use Python (which I already can write in) or whatever. I want to set up some timers and some custom menus that'll show up when I hit various things (end goal is a Blenderish setup) 'Fact is there are too many tools in Maya to map them all ergonomically with the default allowances/constaints right now. I almost figure there should be a "keys that actually exist".inf somewhere, but I'm not sure where to look, or whether it'd be quite that easy.

Anyway, just trying to get a toehold customization-wise, so I can get along, basically.