Final answer:
Early instruments were indeed grouped into the same general families as modern ones.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true. Early instruments were indeed grouped into the same general families as modern ones. The classification system used in ethnomusicology, which studies the music of different cultures, categorizes instruments into four main types based on their sound production mechanism: aerophones (wind instruments), chordophones (stringed instruments), membranophones (instruments with a membrane, such as drums), and idiophones (self-sounding instruments). This classification system is still used today and is similar to how instruments were grouped in early times as well. For example, woodwind and brass instruments were classified as aerophones, while stringed instruments like violins and cellos were classified as chordophones.