I, for one, believe in the polite round of applause as a baseline of acknowledgement for anyone who has the brass to stand up and put out a song in front of strangers. I am comfortable with it from long experience, but to neophytes it can be a frightening experience.

Above and beyond that there are all kinds of additional fervor to be thrown into the mix. My favorite is personal conversations from people who like something I do and take the trouble to tell me so. For the small handful in the crowd who dig a number, my sense of satisfaction is unbounded and it is what makes working up a song worthwhile.